


Scars of a Façade

by athpluver



Category: Frozen (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Elsanna - Freeform, F/F, Rockstar AU, punk!Elsa, roadie!Anna
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2017-06-15
Packaged: 2018-03-09 17:41:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 189,915
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3258620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athpluver/pseuds/athpluver
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're obnoxious, you're self-centered, you're goddamn pretentious, and you've been the bane of my existence ever since I joined you on this stupid tour bus with a gang of geeks you call a rock band. But I will not let you ruin your own career. Now get up off your ass and make everyone out there worship you the way they should!" punk!Elsa roadie!Anna. Elsanna. No flames, please.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Rockstar

**I decided to upload Scars of a Façade onto AO3 because I wanted another place to put my Elsanna fics safely. This is one of my favorite pieces so I'm uploading what I can on here first.**

**Rated Mature for content such as: swearing, smut, mention of smut, and Elsa being a sexy-ass-motherfucker.**

_**Disclaimer: Disney owns the Frozen franchise and any other Disney characters mentioned. Any product usage belongs to the sole owners. No copyright intended.** _

**Thank you! I hope you enjoy.**

* * *

 

"The newest rock sensation is sweeping the nation, taking every single radio station by storm with their hit single 'Let It Go.' Everyone is fan-girling (be they male or female) over them, screaming their names at the top of their voices when they are spied on television, speaking on the radio, or at one of their inexpensive concerts.

The band is called Dry Ice. A mashup of punk, rock, and alternative music being ever present behind them.

Newspapers are full of articles, local talk shows speak highly of the group, and almost every paparazzi craves to get a picture of at least one the band members on a daily basis. Their merchandise is seen for split seconds at local Hot Topics before they are swiped off the shelves by fanatics. Stores sell many knock off versions of the band's T-shirts but people buy them anyway, wanting to claim any and all related items as their own.

But the biggest star in the sky is the lead singer of the band. A sexual, smirking, and devious girl at the early age of twenty-two. Everyone loves her, desires of getting one measly selfie with her, having her high-five them during a concert, and a simple scrap of paper with her autograph on it flaring in every adolescent all across the country.

Fans everywhere had this to say:

'She's _sooooo_ hot.'

'She can turn any gay guy straight and any straight girl gay in an instant.'

'Her smirk is rumored to cause the end of the world… but, like, in a good way.'

'This magazine put a sexy level on a scale of one to her and, well, I think that's pretty f*cking awesome. No one is sexier than she is.'

'If she were to offer a one night stand, I would so take that opportunity. I mean, if I didn't have a boyfriend.'

'I'd go gay for her in an instant, are you kidding? I think we all have a crush on her no matter what our sexuality is.'

'Her f*cking _hip_ action, Jesus Christ. It turns me _on_.'

'Is it normal to want to… wait, never mind, what I'm about to say is probably not gonna look good on paper. Just know that it's really dirty.'

Who is the icon that is causing every fan to swoon head over heels for? The icon setting the bar for punk-style clothes all around. The icon blowing up every magazine cover with her gorgeous face.

Her name is Elsa. Or as her fans adoringly call her: Snow Queen Elsa whilst on stage. Across the country, you can find at least one fan mimicking her signature look: A long braid that is "messily perfect," dark blue tank tops, and a pair of fingerless gloves.

The gloves are the thing Elsa is never seen without. And the band sticks with it as well. Guitarist Olaf, drummer Marshmallow, and bassist Sitron all don the fingerless gloves. The style has also swept the nation, stores completely out of the product everywhere. Fans are also going to great lengths trying to copy Elsa's tattoos— or at least grab ones that hold lyrics from her hit single.

Everyone is going completely gaga for Dry Ice, needless to say. The summer tour is on its way so everyone save up for tickets and gas money if you want to follow them in their debut concert tour!"

Anna looked up from her salad as her cousin Rapunzel finished reading the article in the _Arendelle Issues_ , a local magazine in their mountain town. They were sitting outside a café on their college campus, the warm, early summer air buzzing around them and other students milling about. Everyone was excited for the legendary Dry Ice was on their way to grace the town of Arendelle with their presence.

Rapunzel was practically gushing at the article, grinning stupidly at a picture of Elsa smirking at the camera with Olaf— a lanky dude of twenty-one with spiky white hair— in a headlock in her left arm and Marshmallow— Olaf's younger, much bulkier brother with messy white hair— in her right arm. Sitron— black hair with frosted tips— was jumping behind the group with his tongue sticking out. Anna glanced down at it, too, but didn't share Rapunzel's similar enthusiasm.

"I really don't see what all the fuss is about," Anna said truthfully.

Almost as if she had been personally offended, Rapunzel gasped and gaped at Anna. "Are you fucking _kidding_ me!? You _love_ their music!"

"I enjoy it but I'm not in love with them," Anna said with a shrug. "They don't play my kind of music. Punk isn't really my thing."

Rapunzel scoffed and folded her arms across her chest, leaning back in her seat.

"You just don't understand," Rapunzel said sharply. She jabbed the picture of the band with her finger. "Look at them all! I want to have everyone's babies!"

"Dude…"

The brunette snatched the magazine up and shoved it underneath her cousin's nose. "Look at them!" she cried.

"I see them! But I don't have an urge to have their children!" Anna said, swiping away the magazine with a heavy roll of her eyes.

"Well, whatever your opinion is, you're gonna be my date to the concert when they show up this weekend," Rapunzel told her firmly. "Eugene bailed."

"So glad I'm your backup plan," Anna muttered, stabbing her salad with her fork.

"Oh, no, honey. I didn't mean it like that," Rapunzel said quickly, trying to smooth it over. "I love spending time with you."

"Great save," Anna said sarcastically. "I'm actually sort of looking forward to it. I haven't been to a concert since… well, never." She smiled. "It'll be fun. But does it have to be a _Sunday_ night? I start my finals in the morning."

"Saturday was sold out in the next town over," Rapunzel said. "It's a shame because I would have driven out there if I had the chance but when I asked for tickets, the chick on the phone _laughed in my fucking ear_. So I settled for Sunday. There was no way in hell I was gonna miss the show of a lifetime."

"It's hardly a show of a life—"

Rapunzel cut Anna off with a death glare and Anna giggled, raising her hands chest high in surrender. The brunette immediately dropped her attention back at the article, flipping through the pictures of the band. Anna observed her cousin, noting the fingerless gloves that were supposedly the same kind Elsa wore and how her choppy brown hair was in a french braid that traveled down from the crown of her head to the elastic band struggling to hold the end in place at the nape of her neck. Almost every girl in town was trying to copy Elsa's look— as the magazine pointed out— and every guy was attempting to either do some gender swap version of Elsa or dress like one of the guys in the band.

There was no doubting it, Anna thought, Elsa was a rather attractive girl. Still young and incredibly talented. Attractive to many people, girls and boys alike. But it was hardly anything that the redhead paid much attention to. It was true what she had said, though. She enjoyed their music but it wasn't something she listened to religiously. The only song she actually obsessed over for a while was the single "Let It Go."

And _damn_ Elsa could sing like no other. Anna liked to sing, too, and attempted to sing the song herself but was unable to belt out some of the larger, longer notes. It saddened her so she gave up the goal, soon switching to her usual pop and college rock music whilst she studied.

Anna was nearing the end of her sophomore year in college and had just turned nineteen that April. She was hoping to transfer to a university deeper in the state by the end of this term but all she received from the other ends was dead silence. So her hopes were dwindling fast but, ever the optimist, she kept her fingers crossed.

Her plan that summer was to spend it studying, reading up on everything she could on becoming a teacher. To work hard and lock herself in her room on the weekdays and hang out with friends on weekends. Rapunzel wasn't as motivated as she was but that was mostly because of the whole Dry Ice sensation. Which didn't bother Anna much… until her classmates gawked at her for not donning the similar outfits that everyone else was.

She had no interest in blending in with the group. All Elsa talked about in interviews was being yourself and not act like everyone else, yet everyone wanted to act like her. In her defense, Anna was just taking Elsa's words by heart. Otherwise, she stuck to her button down plaid shirts and jeans.

And _another_ thing. Everyone was rushing to get piercings like Elsa had. Ranging from cartridge piercings to snowflake shaped ones on their lobes. And also rushing to ink their bodies up with tattoos. Anna was perfectly content with her simple, identical ear piercings holding her birth stone and her body ink free, thank you very much.

Whatever the case, Anna was the only one who didn't give into the need to be just like the up and coming pop star. She was never one to follow the crowd anyway.

When Rapunzel had approached her with an extra ticket, Anna had accepted casually, thinking that a night out watching a new band for free wasn't going to be too bad. She was interested in how they played live anyway so it was a win-win for her. All she had to do, according to Rapunzel, was sing along with at least song through the course of the evening.

"They're mostly a cover band anyway," Rapunzel had reasoned, "so you'll know some of their songs. And I know you know 'Let It Go' by heart anyway."

Now that it was Friday, Rapunzel was on the edge of her sanity, preparing for a night of extreme screaming and singing. Anna… not so much. She was excited to see them but wasn't as ecstatic as her starstruck cousin was. Anna wondered if Rapunzel would leave Eugene— her boyfriend of three years— if Elsa's offered to have a one night stand with her like that one interviewed fan suggested. Then again, Rapunzel wasn't _that_ obsessed.

Anna returned to her lunch, glancing up at the cover of the magazine where Elsa was posed rather scandalously, her smile soft but seductive with her ever present fingerless gloves over her hands.

Was she really that big of a deal?

* * *

 

That question was quickly answered as she and Rapunzel headed towards the outdoor theatre housing the "concert of a lifetime" a few miles away from her college campus. It was packed fit to burst with fans of the band. Everyone there was wearing some kind of Dry Ice memorabilia on their bodies, chatting noisily before the concert began.

Anna stuck her hands in her jacket pocket self-consciously realizing she was the _only one_ not wearing fingerless gloves. She wondered if the supply and demand of the gloves was skyrocketing across the United States.

There weren't any seats in the amphitheater so everyone was putting up a fight to the death to get to the front, right underneath the stage and in Elsa's touching range. Rapunzel had Anna in one hand and was using the other to shove other people out of the way, claiming she had more of a right to the front than anyone else. Eventually she was cowered back to the second row by a group of nasty girls with rather ugly scowls. Rapunzel wasn't very happy with the arrangement but decided not to complain after Anna told her it was as close as she was probably ever gonna get.

Dry Ice didn't come on until ten that night, which was a little annoying to Anna because she had hoped she would be back in her dorm early to squeeze in the tiniest bit of studying before she conked out. Apparently, that wasn't going to happen and her plan B was to cram on her way to class.

So she waited in the moist summer air with a bouncy Rapunzel on her left hand side, listening to the less popular opening band: some all boys group that was from a few towns over. A couple of people recognized them and cheered them on but almost everyone else was holding out for Dry Ice.

When the main boy of the group announced that Dry Ice would be out in ten minutes, the entire theatre erupted in applause and fanatic screaming. Anna grinned, cringing at the blast of voices clashing together (and the fact that her cousin was a legendary screamer didn't help either).

Lights had come up for the time being until the band of the night was to arrive. The fans were talking again and Anna heard bits and pieces of the conversations abound.

"D'you think she'll sign my CD?" "Maybe. All I want is for her to look at me."

Was one. Another was: "Hey, how much you wanna bet she'll wiggle her hips like— _that_?" "Dude, gross, you seriously killed the entire act." "Oh, shut the fuck up, once she does it right you'll get back into it."

Her favorite by far was this one she overheard in the middle: "…so god damn sexual. I think she's a lesbian but she has all these super cute guys as her bandmates. Maybe she sleeps with them, I don't fucking know." A laugh, "I have no clue but I know that everyone wants to get into those pants of hers." "Hell, I know I do."

Sometime in the wait, Anna smelled the ever-so-wonderful scent of pot in the back. She wrinkled her nose but didn't comment. Someone was bound to get high at a concert anyway. All she prayed about was not getting some weird contact high.

Finally, the lights started to dim and the theatre went absolutely silent. Everybody was holding their breath and Anna found herself doing the same. It was so quiet that she could hear the chirping of crickets in the fields surrounding the theatre. The sky was much brighter above them all, making the stars look like they were in attendance to the concert as well.

Smoke billowed on stage and three silhouettes scampered on to greet their awaiting instruments. One bulky shadow overtook the drums, a lankier shadow had a guitar slung over his shoulder, and the final shadow— also rather lanky but with a bigger build than the guitarist— fingered a bass that was firm in his grip.

Silence still.

Then a voice rang out into the night air. A cold, raspy, seductive voice that made the wind freeze and the trees quiver.

"Arendelle."

And a figure rose up from underneath the stage, clutching a microphone stand.

Suddenly, lights flashed all at once on the figure, alighting Elsa herself.

Anna still wondered how she had managed to keep her hearing that night. Because as soon as the lights hit her, the entire crowd blew up in deafening shouts, slowly turning into a mantra bearing the punk's name. Her eyes were closed, her gloved hands on the mic before her. She was wearing a blue tank top, a black jacket that was shoved past her elbows, skinny jeans with her scuffed up combat boots over them, and her many piercings were twinkling in the spotlights.

Slowly, she raised her head and her icy blue eyes snapped open, a brilliant, snow white grin flashing on her face. She thrust a fist in the air, platinum blonde braid swishing behind her, and shut her fans up.

"Are you ready?" she asked, still sultry as ever.

The crowd boomed their approval.

"Then let's go, my loves," she said, lips brushing over the mic.

Anna, along with everyone else, found themselves under her spell as Olaf started playing the first song of the night, Marshmallow and Sitron jumping in. And once Elsa opened her mouth and picked up on the first verse, everyone was clapping along.

And maybe it was just her imagination, but Anna could have sworn Elsa was staring at her throughout the first two sets. She didn't tear her teal eyes away, however, because those icy eyes were so enticing. She _did_ question her sanity, hoping that she wasn't going to become a fanatic like Rapunzel was just because an insanely hot girl was staring her down that night.

It was also that night Anna understood what "hip action" everyone was talking about. Elsa was some sort of artist when it came to making her hips swivel in those tight jeans. If this were the fifties, Anna mused humorously, people wouldn't be able to stand the sexual usage of those god-given hips. It was like she was making love to the crowd with each tiny hip-pop and sashay. And they swayed deliciously when she strutted across the stage like she owned the place. She probably would have been able to snatch it for herself no questions asked with one swish of her hips.

She took a moment to address her worshipers, standing dead center on the stage. Her arm not holding the mic spread, as if she were trying to gather the crowd into a hug. And what a hug that would have been. People would have collapsed by a single touch of her hair on their skin so just imagine what a _hug_ would do.

Anna hoped there were ambulances waiting outside the theatre just in case.

"So… glad all of you could make it tonight," Elsa told them, marveling at their applause. "I heard that Arendelle wasn't a party town—" A series of boos followed. "—but whoever said that is _fucking wrong_." The cheers reared up again. "I have to thank you guys, you made this night possible. With all the support you're sending our way we can finally afford a proper tour bus."

"Yeah, one that isn't Sitron's disgusting van," Olaf laughed into the microphone supplied to him.

"Screw you," Sitron snapped, scowling and flipping the guitarist off.

Elsa chuckled into her microphone, raising a hand behind her. "All right, boys, let's all get along. We don't want to fight in front of our fans, do we?" She turned and faced front, her legs slightly spread in a power stance. "We don't like fighting with each other. Families don't do that… however, when you get these losers together with a game of Guitar Hero and Marshmallow beats Olaf… there's always a scuffle or two."

Sitron and Marshmallow howled with laughter as Olaf colored, sending Elsa a rather reproachful look. Elsa snickered, the audience before them laughing, too.

"Sorry, Olaf, baby. I didn't mean to embarrass you," Elsa promised, crossing her heart. Her attention returned to the audience. "Anyway, my loves. Why don't I throw some more music your way?" Everyone announced their approval for the umpteenth time that night. "Do you all know how to raise your glass?" she asked, earning several screams and shouts. "Show me!"

And a cover of the song "Raise Your Glass" started up behind her, the crowd started singing along. When the chorus hit, everyone— even Anna— stuck their fists in the air. Even as a cover band, they played the songs flawlessly and with as much gusto as the original artists. It got everybody going, that was for sure.

There was still that haunting thought in Anna's head that Elsa was staring at her through the next song. She stared right back and even raised an eyebrow at her. Elsa didn't send her one back but smiled, closing her eyes to return her attention to somewhere in the middle of the audience.

The last song of the night was her hit single and the voices of all rose up into the air like some kind of chant to a goddess, singing an anthem to the one woman that made them fall to their knees in a hypnotic prayer. And Elsa was eating it up, basking in the amount of undying affection from the crowd. Each cheer, each word sung out to her, each cry of someone's love for her resinated in the star, her voice getting stronger and more intense.

When the song was over, the applause was deafening- more so than the ones before. Anna was cheering politely, clapping and whooping, getting nudged rather hard by her ever-so-enthusiastic cousin as she leapt up and down, ecstatic tears shining in her eyes.

Elsa bowed low and then came back up, grinning at her admirers.

"Thank you, Arendelle," she breathed into the mic. "I love you."

Everyone chanted her name as she made a round along the edge of the stage, smacking the hands of those in the front row, before blowing them all kisses, giving them the "rock on" sign with her hands, her tongue sticking out, and bounding off stage. Her bandmates all did their goodbyes before heading on after her, high-fiving themselves and hooting in victory.

Rapunzel kept Anna still and said into her ear, "Wait. I don't want to be stuck in a traffic jam."

So the girls squished themselves together as others pushed by to head to their cars, the euphoria steaming off them all. Some concert-goers stopped, however, and started to whisper frantically and excitedly to each other as someone tall shoved his way towards the two waiting cousins.

It was the guitarist, Olaf. Or as his fans lovingly called him: the Snowman. His spiky white hair was sticking up like a porcupine's needles, he wore a muscle tank with the bold words "free hugs" on the front, black skinny jeans, and white sneakers. On his right shoulder, wrapping around his bicep, was the tattooed phrase "I like warm hugs" in cursive writing. His fingerless gloves were a dark brown and he had one eyebrow piercing above his right eye.

As soon as he stopped in front of them, Rapunzel let out the tiniest cry, daring to believe that one of the members of Dry Ice was standing before her. Anna blinked up at him, wondering what he could have possibly wanted.

"You… uh…" Rapunzel spluttered.

Anna guessed her beloved cousin would have fainted if her undying need to be cool in front of the band member didn't out weigh her fan-girling.

"Hi," he said cheerfully. "I'm Olaf."

"We know," Anna said, nodding once. "Are you lost?"

He laughed. "Nope. Elsa told me she wanted to see the cute ginger in the crowd wearing a trashy college sweatshirt." He eyed her and nodded to himself. "I'm guessing that's you."

Anna narrowed her eyes at the shrewd comment at her expense. She loved this stupid sweatshirt. It kept her warm on the nights her heater gave out during her cram sessions for winter finals. And it had been with her since freshman year, her first purchase in any college related items.

"Why?" she asked shortly, earning a sharp jab in the ribs by Rapunzel's elbow.

"Hell if I know," Olaf said with a shrug. "But she wants to see you." He stuck a thumb over his shoulder. "C'mon, I'll show you backstage."

Anna sent Rapunzel a glance that she thought clearly shouted "help" but Rapunzel misinterpreted it as "should I?" The brunette shoved Anna forward, telling her she'd be waiting by the car. Before Anna knew it, she was being lead through a crowd of Dry Ice fanatics backstage to meet the star everyone was obsessing over.

* * *

 

Olaf had her by the hand as they entered a side door next to the stage. Tech crew was starting to clear everything up and maintenance was tending to the garbage left over by the fans. Anna was craning her neck, not particularly thrilled to being dragged in here against her will.

There was a large bodyguard dressed in a fuzzy black sweater who went by the name of Oaken when Olaf addressed him, explaining he had a guest for Elsa. He stepped aside to reveal a door Anna didn't even know was there the man was so gigantic. Olaf winked at her from over his shoulder before pushing it open.

The room was occupied by three other people. Marshmallow was sitting on a couch provided for them in a white leather jacket with spikes on the shoulder pads over a black T-shirt, dark blue jeans, white fingerless gloves, and white sneakers. His hair was shaved on the left side of his head, the white bouncy locks that were left falling over his right eye. He was drinking a beer as he skimmed over an article in a magazine, his entire, humungous body taking the couch over. He wasn't as big as Oaken, Anna noted, and guessed Marshmallow did a hell of a lot of push ups or something. Sitron was smoking a cigarette by the window. He wore a tan shirt with a black jacket over it, torn jeans, a nose piercing, black sneakers, and black gloves. He blew a ring of smoke into the air, grinning at it almost cockily.

Finally, there was Elsa herself, taking large swigs of her water bottle, a towel hanging around her neck. Anna could see her arms now, her jacket no longer covering them up. On her left shoulder was a tattoo of a snowflake with the phrase/lyric "the cold never bothered me anyway" beneath it and on her right arm was the name of her hit single, going down vertically from the top of her shoulder to her elbow. She was leaning casually against the wall, one of her gloved hands in her pocket.

"Elsa, I have that girl you were talking about here to see ya," Olaf said, flopping into one of the arm chairs.

"I can see that," Elsa said, removing the water from her lips before setting it down on a table.

She looked Anna up and down, making the redhead incredibly nervous that she started fiddling with her hands absentmindedly. Again, she found herself the only person in the room not wearing gloves.

"What's your name, sweetie?" Elsa asked, sauntering over.

"Anna," she replied bluntly.

"Cute." The punk grinned. "Suits you…"

Anna furrowed her brows. "Yeah? Does my trashy college sweatshirt suit me too?"

Elsa laughed. "Oops. Sorry if that insulted you, kid." She shrugged indifferently. "But it is pretty trashy. Not something you should wear to one of my concerts, y'know? Got anything related to us?"

"No."

"Not even gloves?" Elsa raised a hand and wiggled her fingers at Anna.

"Are you _kidding_ me? I couldn't find a pair if I tried."

Elsa laughed again, throwing an arm around Anna's neck. "I like this kid!" she announced to the room. "Get her a beer or something. You smoke? I'm sure Sitron has an extra."

"No, thank you," Anna said, wiggling out of Elsa's grip. "I'm too young to drink anyway… and smoking is bad for you."

"What a goodie-two-shoes," Elsa hissed, smirking evermore.

"You don't smoke either, Els," Olaf reminded her.

"Not the point," Elsa said to him, her eyes still on Anna. "How old are you, Anna?"

"Nineteen."

"That makes sense…"

Elsa was actually very intrigued with this girl. If it were any other fan, they would be swooning in front of her and begging for an autograph or something. Anna wasn't falling for any of Elsa's ploys and Elsa _liked_ it. It was a challenge if she ever saw one. She wondered if there was any possible way for her to get Anna to be more open with her. After all, she was _Elsa_. Anna should consider herself lucky.

The girl was rather cute in a kid sister kind of way. Her face was smothered in freckles and Elsa pondered on how many freckles Anna had on her body since they all clearly couldn't fit on her face. There were so many it appeared as if they were dripping down from her cheeks, peppering her collar bone but quickly blocked by the front of a hood. She also had twin, red braids falling over her chest, that stupid college sweatshirt hiding any and all curves Elsa wanted to see if she had, and a pair of worn out jeans over some knock-off Converse. She saw the hem of a plaid shirt sticking out of the bottom-front of the sweatshirt and tried not to snort.

 _Typical mountain teenager_ , Elsa thought.

"Does it really?" Anna countered, folding her arms across her chest and snapping Elsa out of her thoughts.

 _Right. I was talking to this kid_ , Elsa reminded herself.

"Well, sure. Too young to drink but old enough to smoke. You're so innocent, it's delicious," Elsa said, drawing closer. "Are you a virgin?"

"How is that your business?" Anna demanded.

"Just wondering, kid," Elsa said defensively. "It's a normal question."

"Maybe for you."

"Just answer it."

"No."

"Oh, come on."

"Why is such a big deal?"

"I'm curious."

"I don't want to share that information with the likes of _you_."

"Just answer the fucking question!"

Elsa was getting irritated fast. As soon as that last statement rang out, the room fell silent. Anna's lips started to quiver and, for a split second, Elsa thought she had broken the poor girl and made her cry. But Anna started laughing in Elsa's face, stunning the punk and making her smirk slip off her face.

"Oh my god, you're getting upset that I'm not obeying your every command!" Anna teased, grinning at the very thought.

Marshmallow let out a deep bark of laughter at Anna's snide comment, Olaf snickering behind his own bottle of water. Sitron smiled out the window, tapping the ash off his cigarette mindlessly. Elsa drew herself up, trying to hide her flush, displaying her height difference to Anna.

"Are you?" she repeated.

"No, if you _must_ know," Anna said, rolling her eyes.

"Oh, so you're not as innocent as you seem," Elsa said, her smirk returning.

"Whatever," Anna said. "What did you want me in here for, anyway?"

"That's right! There was a point to this little chit-chat," Elsa said, strolling away from the redhead. "I wanted to thank you for being my good luck charm. You see, even stars such as myself get nervous during a show and you kept me sane throughout the entire thing." Elsa searched around the vanity for a sharpie. "And I thought you deserved a token of my appreciation. Sitron, you got a piece of paper?"

"There should be one on the table," Sitron said, poking a finger at the coffee table in front of the couch and chair.

Elsa crouched down above the table and uncapped the sharpie, scribbling something down in one fluid motion.

As she did that, someone knocked on the door and Elsa yelled that they could enter. A boy a couple years older than Anna with auburn hair walked in. To Anna's absolute horror, her ex-boyfriend Hans had entered the room, not noticing her petrified gaze.

"You guys almost ready to go? The after party is soon," he said.

"Yeah, yeah, Westerguard," Elsa snapped at him, sending him a glare. "We'll be out in a damn minute."

He grimaced at her attitude. "Can you tell me that nicely?"

"No."

With a roll of his eyes, Hans left the room but not before noticing a paralyzed Anna huddling in the corner. He blinked a few times until a pen cap smacked him in the back of his head.

"Fucking go already!" Elsa ordered.

"Jesus fucking Christ, I'm going," Hans grumbled, slamming the door behind him.

"Don't mind him, baby," Elsa said to Anna, standing up from the table to retrieve the cap, the paper in her hand. "He's a jackass." She approached Anna and handed over the paper, now bearing her autograph. "Here. As a thank you."

"I bet you do this to everyone," Anna said sourly.

"Hey, take it with pride. I only do this to the ones I like," Elsa said, clapping Anna on the shoulder.

"So you'd be the first," Sitron joked. "Elsa hates everyone."

"Fuck you," Elsa growled at him but grinned in spite of herself. "So, thanks, Anna. You should get yourself from Dry Ice stuff. We can use the cash." She winked and bent down, kissing Anna's freckled cheek.

Elsa's soft lips pressed coolly against Anna's warm skin, causing the ginger to freeze. She was struck dumb, her stomach doing all sorts of backflips as Elsa's breath lingered on her face, pulling away with that smirk. She didn't even remember how she left the room. Did someone escort her? Did she leave on her own? Anna couldn't, for the life of her, recall how she ended up in front of her impatient cousin in the empty outdoor parking lot.

"I can _not_ believe you got her autograph," Rapunzel whined as they drove home. "You don't even like them that much."

"Uh-huh," was all Anna could say, staring out the window with lidded eyes.

"I mean, holy shit, Elsa wanted to see _you_ of all people!" Rapunzel hit the steering wheel with her hand, causing them to jerk slightly on the road. "I've liked them since their first EP! _I_ told you about them. The universe fucking hates me!"

Anna allowed her cousin the liberty to rant. It was all she could do because she knew there was no winning this conversation. Insanely jealous, Rapunzel dropped Anna off in front of her dorm without a simple goodbye. Rolling her eyes, Anna plodded up the stairs to her room and collapsed onto her bed as soon as the door shut. Elsa's signature slipped out of Anna's fingers, floating down to the carpeted floor. Anna's jacket smelled of sweat and smoke, her mind holding the memory of rockstar Elsa's pretentious smirk.

* * *

 

**So this is the first chapter. Tell me what you think! Be nice though… I guess.**

**See you next time!**

 


	2. On My Way

After her finals finished up for the week, Anna was ready to enjoy her summer vacation with her head in books, studying as hard as she could… well, that was her initial plan. Unfortunately when she looked on it from afar, staring at the stack of books on her dorm room desk, she thought of how dreadfully boring it would be.

But it was what she had to do. Maybe she would emerge from her room to grace her friends with her presence. _Maybe_.

Rapunzel was still upset at her. This was the longest they had gone without talking since Anna had gone to England in a foreign exchange program as a senior in high school. Even back then it was just two days. Now it had reached a stupendous record of three and a half.

But Anna was giving her cousin the room to seethe and let out her jealousy towards her by isolating herself with her boyfriend to yak about how hurt and betrayed she was. It was the most ridiculous reason to be mad at her, in Anna's opinion. Eugene had even called Anna to apologize for Rapunzel's behavior, telling her that the brunette was just being stupid.

To which Anna agreed wholeheartedly.

The great thing about her college was that it had year-round dorms for those who didn't want to go home over the breaks. Anna loved her parents to death but she knew that if she returned to them, they would distract her from studying.

So she decided it was best to remain on campus for the summer.

On the Friday after the concert, Anna was sitting in the café, enjoying a book that was outside of her study list to get her mind off of school for a little while. Her tea was steaming in front of her, the room full of idle chatter by its occupants. Anna was so engrossed she hadn't realized someone had approached her.

A throat was cleared and she glanced up, finding a very guilt ridden Rapunzel standing before her. The gloves that once homed her hands were gone and she was wearing her usual pink colored clothes instead of black or dark blue to represent the band she loved so much. Her hair was still in the short braid but it looked nice on her so Anna didn't associate it with Elsa.

"Hey," Rapunzel mumbled.

"Hey yourself," Anna said, smiling. "Are you done being mad at me?"

Rapunzel sat herself down across from Anna with a nod. "Yes… I'm sorry," she sighed. "I overreacted a little bit."

Anna shot her a look and the brunette grinned sheepishly.

"Okay, okay. A _lot_ a bit," she admitted. "But I know that you didn't do any of that on purpose… well, duh, of _course_ you didn't. You were dragged along against your will." She raised her eyes from her fiddling hands and bit her lip. "But I've got to ask… what was it like back there? What was _Elsa_ like?"

"It wasn't a fabulous fantasy scene that everyone thinks backstage is… but it was interesting," Anna said with a shrug. She reasoned that she should give Rapunzel the benefit of the doubt and allow her to live vicariously through her experience with the punk. After all, Anna would have probably felt jealous of Rapunzel went backstage with her favorite singer, too. "I mean, it was really cool to see and talk to them as an outsider. You know me and my opinion of these guys. Olaf was a chill guy… Sitron and Marshmallow hardly said anything so I don't know much about them."

"Yeah, they're the quiet ones in any interview they have," Rapunzel said, nodding wisely. "Olaf and Elsa are the talkers. But what was _she_ like?"

Anna fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Elsa was… how can I put this? Snide… sarcastic, seductive (but she'll toot her own horn about it so I wasn't buying it.) Ah what else— ooh! Pretentious."

"Pretentious?" Rapunzel repeated, her brow furrowing. "How so?"

"I just… oh my god," Anna trailed off, her eyes widening.

"What?" Her cousin craned her neck to get a glimpse of what Anna was gaping at… only to find the very same person they were talking about stroll into their café.

The noise Rapunzel that escaped her throat was more inhuman than the one she made when Olaf approached them last weekend. Elsa was dressed in a similar outfit she wore during the concert but her tank top was white instead of dark blue. Her black jacket covered her tattoo but her piercings were shining on her ears and at the edges of her right eyebrow in the summer sun leaking through the windows.

Several people spotted her, too, and went mute by the mere sight of her. One-by-one, others realized how silent their friends were going and followed suit, attention quickly landing on the celebrity. Even the whirring of the ice maker seemed to freeze when she stepped over the threshold.

Elsa's cold eyes swept the room until they landed on Anna. That stupid smirk appeared on her face instantly and she walked over, gloved hands in her pants pockets. Rapunzel whirled back around to face Anna, her mouth forming a single line, her cheeks flaming with embarrassment from being in the presence of Elsa. Anna stared at the blonde without blinking, wondering what in the world she could want.

"Hey, Anna," Elsa said, drawing up a chair and plopping down between the two girls as if she was an old friend. "Long time no see."

"Did you _stalk_ me or something?" Anna asked, raising her brows at the punk.

"I asked around about you," Elsa said casually, waving over a waitress. "I wanted to talk to you about a few things. Funny, everyone seemed very confused on why I'd want to speak with _you_. Are you a weird kid or something?"

Anna tried her best not to look offended. She wasn't going to let Elsa get to her again.

"No…" Anna said, shaking her head.

The waitress stumbled over with a pad of paper in her trembling hands. Elsa gave her a simple order of hot chocolate— which Anna nearly snorted at— before continuing her discussion with the redhead.

"Then why was everyone freaking out?" Elsa said, leaning back in her seat and crossing her arms.

"Because they're talking to _you_ ," Anna said. "Everyone here is a giant fanatic—"

"Except Anna," Rapunzel got a quiet word in.

Anna sent her a reproachful look but Elsa started laughing. She brought her fist up to her mouth, grinning into it to conceal the bark of mirth escaping her lips.

"Is she now? What a shame," Elsa grinned, winking at Rapunzel. "Not like you, huh? I'm digging the hairstyle."

The poor girl flushed a deeper shade of red and darted her eyes away, biting her lip to keep herself from grinning stupidly right back. Anna sighed and picked up her tea, taking a deep sip from it. The hot chocolate arrived with the biggest amount of whipped cream Anna had ever seen.

 _Jeez. She's so ridiculously famous right now that everyone is trying to please her in the stupidest ways,_ Anna thought bitterly.

"Anyway, I was thinking about something, Anna," Elsa said after she tasted her beverage. "I wanted to know what you were doing with your summer."

"Studying," Anna said blandly.

"And that can be done anywhere," Elsa said suddenly.

"Why?" Anna demanded.

"There's something about you, kid, that I like. I can't put my finger on it but… you're a damn excellent good luck charm for me," Elsa said.

"You've only just met me," Anna reminded her. "You can't _possibly_ have any good judgement to—"

"Yeah I do. You're just… different."

"That's a stupid reason."

"Well, tough. I'm asking you anyway. I want you to join me on my summer tour as a roadie."

Anna's mouth went dry and clamped shut. Her brows inched together, almost forming one single brow. Rapunzel was gawking at Anna to Elsa and back again. The café had returned to its buzz moments after Elsa sat down so the redhead was very glad nobody but the three at the table had overheard the request.

A roadie?

"You mean… like… I have to sleep with the band?" Anna wondered, grimacing.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "No. That's a groupie. Roadies help out and make sure the show runs smoothly. But all you'll be doing is making sure I'm not a complete mess before I go on stage, see to it that I have everything I need backstage, and run errands for us when we take a pitstop. I can even pay you with some of the ticket money we get that goes to us, our manager, the crew, y'know." She raised an arm slightly, granting Anna to respond.

"I don't know the first thing about being a roadie!" Anna said. "Besides, I want to focus on my education this summer."

"All you'd be doing is helping me out. You don't have to handle any equipment if you don't want. A fun road trip and study on the way from place to place," Elsa said encouragingly. "What do you think?" She turned her icy eyes on Rapunzel.

"M-me?" she said, pointing to herself.

"You think Anna should take the opportunity?" Elsa said, raising a perfectly sculpted brow.

Rapunzel felt a nudge on her foot and she flicked her green eyes over to Anna. The look on her face told her that Anna was apologetic for getting the request and begging her to not say anything. The brunette opted on shrugging in Elsa's direction. The punk swiped a dollop of whipped cream off the top of her drink with her finger and licked it off, humming in thought.

"I'm sorry, Elsa, even if I wanted to, I could never be a roadie for you," Anna said truthfully.

"Why not? No experience?" Elsa said, her brows shooting into her hairline.

"No. My ex-boyfriend Hans is one of your roadies now," Anna said.

Rapunzel gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. She shook her head at Elsa rapidly. The blonde squinted, curiosity rising in her being.

"Hans Westerguard, you mean?" Elsa said. Anna nodded darkly, glaring at the floor.

"Yup. He cheated on me last year with some girl… I can't stand being in the same room as him anymore."

"She punched him in the face when she found out he cheated," Rapunzel said with a wry smile. "He had to get a false tooth after that."

Elsa forced down a grin. "He's a cheater, huh? I see… well, how unfortunate. What if he was never my roadie. What would you say then?"

"I'd have to tell you…" Anna regarded Elsa carefully. "If you really wanted me, you'd have to prove it. I want to spend a summer studying in closed, comfortable quarters and have peace and quiet when I do so. I don't think you can supply either of those." Anna finished her tea and got to her feet, tucking her book underneath her arm. "So if by some circumstance you have an opening where I wouldn't be working with Hans, find me. I could use the extra cash, too. C'mon, Punzie. My parents wanted to have dinner with me tonight and they were asking about you."

"Ah… right, okay," Rapunzel said with a feeble nod.

As the cousins exited the café, Elsa was left alone at the table. She ran her tongue over the top row of her teeth before standing up. She took a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and tossed it on the table beside her unfinished hot chocolate. She was about to leave after them to head on to her hotel room but paused, gazing sadly at her drink.

She was in no mood to finish it but she didn't want to waste such a delicious beverage. Without many options since she was in a rush, she grabbed a napkin and asked someone for a pen. A blushing girl handed her one and muttered that Elsa could keep it. Elsa winked at her with a polite "thanks" and scribbled down a note to the waitress.

_Couldn't finish it. Amazingly rich so it filled me up. Keep the tip, lovely._

She scratched her autograph on it with a—

_PS: I think that hairband is too much. You would look much cuter with your bangs down._

Satisfied, Elsa headed outside into the warm summer air, removing her jacket and strolling through the campus. Everywhere she went, heads turned and whispers lifted into the air excitedly. She would spare them a glance, smirking and waving at them, winking at almost every girl and boy she saw. Her pathway would sometimes be cut off by enthusiastic fans, asking her to sign little scraps of paper for them.

Finally getting away from the population of Arendelle in her little hotel room she shared with her band members, she threw her jacket hard across the room, hitting Olaf in the back of the head.

"Ow! Els, what the fuck?" he snarled, turning around, rubbing the smarting spot.

"Where is Hans?" she ground out, her icy eyes flashing.

"Vending machine," Sitron supplied.

"Get him," Elsa commanded.

"Why me?" Sitron said defensively.

Elsa reached over and grabbed him by the collar. He was hardly fazed and was scowling down at the shorter girl, daring her to try anything on him.

"Because I told you to," Elsa said lowly, her voice raspy. "You obey your queen, peasant."

"I'll get him," Marshmallow sighed, shaking his head and leaving the room.

Elsa let go of Sitron and grabbed her jacket from the floor. Olaf observed her, his arms folded across his scrawny chest.

"You seem pissed," he viewed.

"I _am_ pissed," Elsa confirmed. "That little shit Anna… she thinks she's so perfect. God, she's infuriating! Who comes to our concerts and not bow to us?"

"Bow to _you_ ," Sitron corrected.

"I swear to fucking god," Elsa growled at him.

He grinned, raising his gloved hands chest high in surrender. Olaf leaned against the wall, cocking his head to one side.

"But… I thought you wanted her to come with us. You're so impossible to follow, you know that, right?" he told her bluntly.

"I do want her to come. She needs to have some fun. The poor kid looks like she was birthed in the most conservative home imaginable," Elsa said, flopping down onto one of the beds. "The only thing she's done outside the line was have sex before marriage. Who the hell did she fuck anyway?"

 _Hans?_ Elsa thought, disgusted. _No way… Well… It would make sense…_

Olaf pursed his lips. "Elsa, if she said no then let it—"

"Don't you _dare_ make that joke now," she warned with a deadly hiss.

The guitarist started to laugh, Sitron joining in shortly. Elsa rolled her eyes heavily, mumbling swears under her breath.

Minutes later, the door swung open and Marshmallow pushed Hans inside like some kind of security guard. The roadie scratched the back of his neck, appearing very confused and annoyed. His eyes turned on Elsa in question.

"You wanted to see me?" he inquired. "And next time find me yourself and don't send one of your goons."

Elsa swung her legs off the bed and marched over to him, a rage everyone was used to following her, tangling in her braid and cackling around them like some electric storm. The other band members turned away. Elsa was angry and they didn't want to fall witness in case she committed something illegal.

Like Sitron, she grabbed Hans' collar but it was far more ferocious and her other fist was pulled back. Hans winced, cringing at a familiar threat that his ex once inflicted upon him when he betrayed her trust. Elsa took a swing but grabbed his jaw tightly between her fingers instead of smacking it and removing another tooth. He made a noise of surprise, eyes searching for an explanation.

She popped his mouth open and peered inside. Then a devilish smirk lit her features.

"You do have a false tooth… I can see it. Slightly outta place," Elsa mused.

"Wha?" Hans said, his speech muffled and strained by Elsa's grip.

"You fucking deserved it, you pig," Elsa said, the smirk melting into a scowl. "And I don't want someone like you hanging around us. You'd give us a bad name if word got out you're a no good cheat."

Hans shoved her hand away, a snarl on his face to match Elsa's.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded.

"You're fired," Elsa told him harshly, turning on her heel and strutting away.

"What!? You can't fire me!" Hans roared but Marshmallow stepped in his way, a silent protector over Elsa.

"Yes, she can," Olaf said, popping out from behind his younger brother. "She pays you. She can kick you out."

"You're an irrational bitch with the biggest ego I've ever had the misfortune to witness!" Hans barked at her. "Fine! I'll leave and take my sponsor with me! Dry Ice is gonna be dried up by the end of this tour anyway!"

"That was an awful pun," Olaf stated dryly. "If she didn't fire you for being a douche, she should most definitely fire you for that."

Marshmallow took Hans by the arm and started ushering him out. Sitron gawked at Elsa, silently agreeing with Hans about how irrational Elsa could be.

"Jesus H. Christ, Elsa! Now we don't have an amp sponsor," he reminded her. "That was a fucking hasty decision!"

"We don't need Hans," Elsa insisted.

"Is this all because of that Anna chick?" Sitron said with a hollow laugh. "Did Hans date her or something?"

"I've had it up to here with him," Elsa said, avoiding the question, and thrusting her gloved hand high above her head. "He's a disrespectful prick that has no off button. And we can find a new sponsor. I already have offers in South Dakota from some family called… ah, I can't remember. But one of the kids is a fan… Anyway…" She turned to Sitron and Olaf, clapping her hands once in bitter encouragement. "Now we have an opening for a new roadie."

"You're a fucking hopeless mess," Olaf chuckled, heading over to the restroom.

"Me?" Elsa snarled.

"Just go and fuck the kid and you'll feel better," Sitron said, opening up a new pack of cigarettes.

"You're absurd," Elsa told him.

"Sexual tension with a stranger, Els. It's called brief chemistry and people commit to have a one night stand to get rid of it—" Sitron stuck a cigarette between his teeth, pocketing the packet and getting out his lighter. "—and it's clear you have it in for this girl."

"Whatever… I think she'd be fun to play with," Elsa admitted. "Like a summer toy. Give her some road experience… maybe she'll loosen up and start to actually have fun for once. Plus, I could use another chick on this tour. I'm stuck with a damned sausage fest and I'm the gayest one of the bunch."

"And I'm the absurd one," Sitron chortled, lighting up.

* * *

 

It was tempting, she had to admit it. Never before had she been on a road trip for a long period of time and traveling around was something she loved doing. And if she got paid for just lounging around in a tour bus with the hottest band in current events, perhaps she could finally upgrade from her crappy 2007 iMac to a Macbook Air… but even that would be a stretch. But Elsa was infuriating for so many reasons that Anna's will to have a summer in which she would remain sane was weighing over her interest in joining Dry Ice on a tour.

Then again… it would get her away from any homebound distractions such as her friends and family. If she could have some time to herself in her own hotel room at night to study, she might be able to do just as she planned. Just with the responsibility of helping and working during the day.

While she washed the dishes with her mother after their meal, she told her about Elsa's offer and what she thought. Her mother thought it was a fantastic idea for Anna to go out and explore the country, come out of her shell and live a little.

"Honey, you've been cooping yourself up in your bedroom since forever and this will be a good and healthy experience," said Faye.

"But _Mom_ , it'll be with rockstars! What if I get addicted to weed or something," Anna tried to reason.

"You don't get addicted to weed," Faye said, shaking her head at her daughter. "Besides, you're a responsible young lady so I don't worry. Study on your downtime and get paid when you work. You know, your father used to be in a band."

Anna blew a raspberry. "Yeah, when he was sixteen. But they didn't take off."

"Hey now, we could have but your uncle was too chicken to go for it!" David called from the living room, a giggle by Rapunzel following.

"Listen— this deal sounds great and perhaps you can learn a thing or two. A little traveling, a little rebellion is good for a teenager," Faye said.

"Mom, it's not rebellion if you're giving the okay," Anna pointed out.

Regardless of Anna's attempts to make them see the light, her parents both agreed that Anna would get nothing but good experience from stuffing herself in a tour bus with Dry Ice and traveling across America and back. After the dishes were washed and the discussions ended, she and Rapunzel parted ways, Anna heading up to her dorm to contemplate on Elsa's offer some more.

Only to find the damned punk waiting for her, a cup of… _some_ thing in her gloved grip. She was leaning on the railing protecting the flower garden that Anna had planted with her neighbor that spring just below the stairs that lead to Anna's room.

 _Those stupid gloves_ , Anna thought, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Okay, now I'm convinced you're stalking me."

"I _asked_ , ginger ale," Elsa said. "Jesus, I'm not a creep."

"You look like one," Anna decided to shoot. _Ginger ale? What the actual fuck?_

"Oh, I'm so hurt," Elsa said sarcastically, clutching her heart with false pain. "Anna, you've wounded me."

"What do you want?" Anna sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"Hans is no longer in my service," Elsa said, standing straight and facing the redhead.

"I really hope you didn't fire him because of me," Anna said, her face dropping into slight concern and overall seriousness. "That's not cool on so many levels."

"To be perfectly honest with you, I've been looking for a reason to kick him out," Elsa said. "But none of my motives have been strong enough for me to pursue them. I'm lazy, I'll admit it. You gave me the perfect little push and I thank you for it." She did a little bow. "So, I'm here to tell you that my offer still stands for you to come along on this tour."

"How much would I get paid exactly?" Anna said abruptly.

"Hard to say currently, kid," Elsa said earnestly, scratching the back of her head. "But it's enough to save up for something decent."

"Uh huh… well, when do you leave?" Anna inquired.

"Monday. So I'll need your answer by Sunday afternoon to get some arrangements made. Not all of our roadies have traveled with us on the same bus so you'd be a special case," Elsa said. "A lot of our tech help is local in the towns we visit, you see."

"I have some demands."

"Naturally."

"I want my own hotel room in every hotel we book. It can be the cheapest, crappiest thing in the world with bloodstains and tape on the floor where a dead body used to be, I don't care, but I am _not_ sharing it with any of you. That will be my time to study. That and when we're on the road and I have my iPod in my ears." Anna pointed at her ears in example. "Unless it's an emergency, I don't like being disturbed when I have those in, understand?"

"I can make some arrangements. I can even set you up with your own little quarters in the tour bus," Elsa said. "If you find this all up to snuff, your Highness, then you can give me an answer now and we can hit the road early Monday morning."

"You're… you're an interesting character, Elsa," Anna said. "I'm having a hard time figuring you out."

"Why thank you," Elsa said with that smirk lighting up her lips. "I take that in pride. So, kid. Yes or no?"

Anna stared up at her dorm room, waiting for her to clamber inside and spend the next three months holed up in a hot, stuffy room. She was harshly reminded of the taunting fact of how boring it would be spending her summer alone and how much she would eventually regret the decision of not going with the band.

Getting paid to hang out with Dry Ice sounded all too tempting now… but how would she tolerate Elsa?

Well, that would be an easy task. She could annoy Elsa just as much Elsa could annoy her. They had a balance already and they only had three encounters. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad… maybe it was time for a change.

"I guess it'll be a yes," Anna said, almost cringing at her final answer.

Elsa's face lit up like a tree on Christmas much to Anna's surprise. "Fucking awesome!" She seemed to realize her enthusiasm had skyrocketed and she flushed, scowling and coming down from her excitement quickly. "I mean… great. That's great."

Anna fought a smile. "When should I meet with you? And where?"

"We'll be hanging out by the theatre from the concert you went to, kid. Meet us there around six on Monday morning and then we'll hit the road…" Elsa eyed the ginger. "Make sure you pack for a three and a half month trip."

"Will we be back by September?" Anna wondered anxiously.

"Yeah, yeah, no worries," Elsa said, waving away Anna's concern. "You'll be back in time for your sissy school."

"At least I go to school," Anna retorted.

"Try and come up with a better comeback, kid, 'cause you're gonna need as many as you can when you hand with us. You wouldn't wanna be a laughing stock."

"I'm dreadfully scared." Anna rolled her eyes and started to climb up to her dorm. "I'll see you Monday, I guess."

"See you." The punk raised her hand in farewell as she turned on her heel, strutting off to her next destination.

Anna watched her leave from the little balcony, hearing the dull thud of Elsa's combat boots as they slammed on the pavement, letting everyone around her know that she was a big deal and they should stay the hell away from her. With a slight shake of her head, Anna entered her dorm and pondered on how in the world she had managed to get herself in a whole lot of trouble already.

She could just feel it.

* * *

 

She wondered if asking her cousin for a ride was going to be something she would regret on the way to the theatre. But Rapunzel was nothing but ecstatic to drive Anna to the tour bus with one condition of getting an autograph from Elsa. With a dry laugh, Anna said she would do anything in her small amount of power to ask Elsa to accommodate to her cousin's wish.

Anna had packed two small duffle bags of clothes, toiletries, and the general essentials, a little purse with her wallet and notebooks and reading materials, and her computer bag holding her laptop with its charger and several other chargers for her phone and iPod. She was still having a hard time believing she had agreed to travel with the band as she and Rapunzel chugged along the empty streets, the outdoor theatre coming into view on the horizon.

"I think your mom was right though," Rapunzel offered, glancing at Anna. "This will be good for you. Experience with a real band… I mean, so many people would, like, _kill_ for this opportunity."

"Mm," Anna mumbled, tugging at one of her braids. "I still don't know why I'm suddenly a perfect candidate for a roadie."

"You'll get the hang of things. You always do."

They pulled up to the tour bus a few minutes later to find Marshmallow and Oaken hanging out by the front. The bus was like any regular bus Anna had seen online that carried bands from place to place. The outside was white with the band's name in Metallica-esque text in black along the bottom of the darkened windows. Light blue snowflakes flowed in a pattern near the words and around the wheels, making it a little more outstanding than a normal bus.

Anna jumped out of the car and waved with uncertainty at the two incredibly bulky men. Marshmallow recognized her and made his way over, giving her a pillow soft smile that instantly calmed her nerves.

"Hello, Anna," he said in a deep voice. "Elsa and everyone is in the bus… you have stuff?"

"Uh-huh," Anna nodded. "And, hey, my cousin is wondering if she can get an autograph from Elsa."

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Marshmallow assured her. "Here, let me get your things."

The way he spoke was slow like molasses but it had a low rumble to it that could shake the trees into a gentle breeze, as if he were an abominable snowman who cared for injured animals with soft cooing noises and food from his own gathering. Anna found an urge to be picked up by this guy and sit on his shoulders so she could see all the way to New York. That kind of brother that lets his little siblings rest on his head to view the parade better over the heads of taller people who— in Anna's opinion— should be in the back to be more considerate to the shorter folks such as herself.

He went around to the back of the car and collected Anna's luggage before lugging them into the bus. Oaken was toying with keys, checking his watch and looking around expectantly. Rapunzel met with Anna on her side of the car, fiddling with her fingers anxiously, and "oohing" at the tour bus with a hint of longing in her green orbs.

The redhead wasn't so sure if she was to just parade inside and take her place as a new crew member just like that. Marshmallow didn't emerge after a few minutes. Instead, Elsa came climbing out, a scrap of paper in her grasp. Rapunzel and Anna both dropped their jaws against their will.

 _Bold_ , was Anna's first thought.

And that was the perfect word to describe Elsa. Bold. She was wearing black skinny jeans, blue Converse, and a sports bra with those gloves over her hands. Sashaying her way towards the slack-jawed cousins. And did Elsa ever have a body, the sports bra exposing her toned stomach. It was fit— the perfect kind of body to bounce and dance around the stage for hours on end— and her muscles were peeking out enough to know that they existed but enough to hide them beneath the skin.

 _How can someone just walk out like that?_ Anna asked herself, clamping her mouth shut and reaching over to do the same to Rapunzel. _I could never pull that off._

"Anna, baby, so glad you could make it on time," Elsa purred. "You are… Punzie?"

"Rapunzel… but you can call me Punzie if it pleases you," Rapunzel peeped.

"Oh, please, she's not a queen," Anna objected.

"Au contraire, I am Queen Elsa to my fans," the punk teased, handing Rapunzel the paper that bore her autograph on it. "And I serve my subjects well." She leaned down and gave Rapunzel a kiss on the cheek much like she did to Anna on the night of the concert. "Thanks for the support. Any friend of Anna's is a friend of mine."

The brunette flushed and she pressed her lips together, trying to keep her cool in front of Elsa. Anna rolled her eyes, getting the strong feeling she was going to be doing a lot of that over the journey.

 _So much for being a special case,_ Anna went on to think.

"Anna, now that you're here, I can show you around what will be your home for the next three and a half months," Elsa said.

The ginger turned to her cousin with a smile. "Thanks for the ride," she said.

"Anytime," Rapunzel assured, grabbing Anna into a hug. "Have an awesome time. I'm glad you're doing something fun this summer."

"Ha… me too," Anna agreed. "Don't go too crazy while I'm gone."

"I'll try," Rapunzel winked. "Um, bye… Elsa. It's been an honor to meet you."

"It's always nice to meet my fans," Elsa assured.

Rapunzel rounded her car and jumped in the driver's seat, watching as Anna was dragged along by Elsa towards the tour bus. Anna looked over her shoulder, catching Rapunzel start to drive away, feeling a heaviness in her heart. Leaving her home was hard but not seeing her cousin, her best friend since birth, for three months except over FaceTime made Anna sad to go. Elsa paused, noticing Anna's sudden reluctance and frowned.

"Hey, look, if you really don't want to do this, I'm not gonna force you into it," Elsa said. "I admit, I was a little abrasive but I can get like that… you'll learn that on the way."

"No, I want to," Anna said with a firm nod, facing Elsa. "Everyone so far told me that this will be a good experience… I need to do something with my time other than study. I'm with you."

With a cat-like grin, Elsa clapped Anna hard on the shoulder.

"You're a fucking trooper, kid," Elsa praised. "I like that in you. Let's get on done with the tour so we can start our trip." She lead Anna up to Oaken, who was leaning against the bus. Anna was surprised he wasn't making it tilt with his humungous size and height. "This is Oaken. He's our body guard slash driver. He's a big teddy bear on the inside so don't get scared of him… just don't piss him off." The last part was whispered coolly into Anna's ear.

"Noted," Anna nodded weakly, waving her fingers at the large man.

He beamed down at her and waved with bear-paw-like hands. "Hoo-hoo, Anna!"

"Oaken, we'll leave in five minutes, cool?" Elsa said, stepping up the stairs.

"Yes, of course," Oaken nodded.

"C'mon, kiddo, lemme show you around," Elsa coaxed, grabbing Anna's hand and yanking her inside.

Anna's mouth fell open for the second time that day. The tour bus was incredible for such a new band. In the front was naturally a little area for the driver and a passenger to sit and watch the road as they crossed the country, a big leather seat to fit the mass that was Oaken with a big bus wheel. But the seats were separated from the rest of the bus by walls, creating an entrance to the main part of the bus. Anna stepped cautiously in, peeking around the place she was going to call home, her beat up knock-off sneakers making dull clicks on the hardwood floor.

When she stood in the doorway, she could see directly to the end. On her right was a large couch that was now housing Marshmallow, a booth that could seat four but was currently seating Sitron and Olaf, and an L-shaped kitchen that was the size of the couch, slightly going against the wall that separated the main room with three bunks tucked away in the wall down a small hall leading to the master bedroom. On her left was an entertainment center with a flatscreen against a hunk of sideways wall and another couch that was half the size of the one Marshmallow was resting against with an end table by the furthest arm, which was tucked between that and what Anna was assumed was the bathroom before it joined again with bunks.

Along the walls that were seen and not taken up by windows hung posters and guitars. There was a retro looking clock above the end table, the posters ranging from Dry Ice to No Doubt.

It was nothing like Anna had ever seen. It was so cozy that she was drawn into it like a bee to a flower, stepping deeper inside against her will, teal eyes flashing from the couches to the posters to the people hanging around. Elsa slid past her and beckoned her over.

"C'mon. There's a bit more you gotta see," she said.

"Hi, Anna!" Olaf greeted merrily, waving at her.

"Hey, goody-two-shoes," Sitron snorted.

Anna waved at them as she and Elsa strode into the small space between the bunks. Elsa pointed to an open door that led into the master bedroom with a queen sized bed and its own little television, dresser, and desk.

"This is my bedroom," Elsa said. "And right here—" She rested a gloved hand against a slanted door to the left of her bedroom door and a few inches away from the left bunk spaces. "—are your sleeping quarters. It's small and not a lot of walking space but I think it''ll suit you." Elsa threw the door open to reveal the tiniest room Anna had ever seen.

Carpet floored and the white walls, waiting to be papered with posters. Her bed was a twin, shoved up against the wall with a beside table with a lamp on top and clothing drawers underneath it between the bed and wall that separated her from Elsa. There were outlets for chargers and shelf space for other essentials above her pillow where her bags were waiting for her. At the foot of the bed, going up to the center of the wall was a shelf were a tiny television was resting.

"You're lucky to get this room. Olaf and Sitron have been arguing over it but I told them that this is for our special guest so they let you have it out of the kindness of the holes that used to hold their hearts," Elsa quipped. "It's not much…"

"I like it," Anna said. "Thank you."

"Fantastic," Elsa chuckled. "Get yourself all prepped. We should be heading off very shortly."

The punk left her in her new room, shutting the door behind her. Anna lowered herself onto the bed, feeling as if she was in a tiny hotel room. It smelled fresh, at least, like a maid had passed through here first thing in the morning. The redhead pulled out her clothes and started stuffing them into the drawers, setting up her things on the shelf space— thankful that there were mini railings at the edges to keep anything from falling on her whilst she slept— and kicked off her shoes. She rested in a supine position, gazing up at the ever white ceiling, rubbing her socked feet together as she thought.

This was really happening. She was actually going to travel around with the hottest band… no, the "coolest" band according to all the articles (which Anna thought was stupid since Dry Ice is actually hot to the touch but whatever the media was dumb).

Exhilaration thrummed through her veins as she allowed a smile bless her freckled features. She sat up and slid off the bed, ready to check out the rest of the bus and view what it had to offer. But as soon as she reached one of the couches, the ignition started and Anna was thrown off balance, landing on the couch. Dry Ice laughed and cheered, their journey across country just beginning.

"Next stop: Vegas!" Elsa whooped, punching the air with a gloved fist.


	3. Waking Up in Vegas

Watching the band from the inside was one of the most fascinating things Anna had ever witnessed. Sometime after she explored the bus, Anna had returned to her room to get a head start on some studying but found that it was hard to concentrate. She was too eager to sit still and stick her nose in a book for a few hours. So she had opted on listening to some music and took a short nap to regain the sleep she had lost from getting up early that morning.

But once she woke up from that, she was sitting in the booth of the bus, watching Olaf and Sitron play each other in a round of Guitar Hero. Elsa was in the kitchen, talking on the phone with their manager— according to Marshmallow— and said drummer was cuddled up in his bunk (which Anna was surprised to find he could fit inside).

It was like a normal family if Anna had ever seen one as an outsider. All her life, she was the only child in an average American family with Norwegian roots. A mother, a father, and a daughter in a two story house with a backyard and a dog. Classic.

But this family before her had no parents to be seen unless one counted Oaken as the father…

 _No,_ Anna mused. _More like an uncle everyone loves._

As she tried to work everyone out in her head, she was joined in the booth by Elsa, sitting directly across from her, averting her vision from the guitarist and bassist bickering over the score and to the blonde.

"Excited?" Elsa asked, leaning back in the plush seat and throwing a toned arm across the top of it.

Anna tried her best not to leer. Lately girls had been her target for affections but Elsa wasn't her type… but her body was just sort of… there.

"Yeah, sure," Anna said, forcing herself to stare at Elsa's face. "So Vegas is our first stop?"

"That's our first concert stop, yeah," Elsa nodded. "It would be our first official stop from Arendelle but…" She threw a scowl over her shoulder. " _Some_ body fucking forgot to go grocery shopping."

Olaf cast her a reproachful glare, pouting as Sitron snickered.

"I was sidetracked with a few important things," Olaf defended, turning back to the screen.

"Yeah, that one chick that was running the register," Sitron mocked. "You couldn't step over the fucking threshold without whimpering."

Elsa rolled her eyes and kicked her now bare feet up on the seat across her, Anna grimacing slightly down at the blue and black painted toenails joining her. She noted the small tattoo on Elsa's ankle— an outline of a broken heart. How many tattoos did this girl have?

"I think it's sweet," Anna supplied, earning a smile from Olaf.

"As sickly sweet as it is, kid, we need to have food in here," Elsa pointed out. "Which has now become one of your jobs. I'll give you some cash and you get some groceries for the bus. Nothin' fancy. Anything that we can make without burning the place down."

"So I'm, what, your errand girl?" Anna said sourly.

"No, not at all," Elsa said with a shake of her head. "That's only every other stop depending on how much we devour over the trip. And, hey, thank fucking god for leftovers, am I right?"

"Uh-huh," the redhead said blandly. "What other tasks must I complete over this journey?"

"Ah… let's see." Elsa scratched the back of her head in thought. "You have to make sure that we have what we need backstage. And I'll tell you this now: I hate every single bottled water in the world except Arrowhead."

"Yeah she once threw a damn fit when this one town only had Fiji," Sitron said, he and Olaf starting a new round of Guitar Hero.

"I'm just saying, this is what roadies are for! Making sure I don't become a regular Justin Bieber," Elsa said, making Anna laugh.

"I'll keep that in mind," Anna promised. "What else?"

"Basically whatever else that I can come up with," Elsa said, shrugging. "Being a roadie isn't too hard. You're like a personal assistant but way cooler 'cause you're working for a band."

"Is she getting paid?" Marshmallow spoke up.

"'Course she is," Elsa said. "I'd be a bitch if I didn't pay the kid."

"You're a bitch otherwise," Sitron joked.

Elsa grabbed a napkin from the dispenser on the table, balled it up, and threw it at his head. Olaf let out a bark of laughter, victorious as he took the lead in the score for Sitron had distracted himself by whirling around to throw the napkin back at her.

"Ah, fuck!" Sitron cried, realizing his mistake and starting up again, trying to reach the score Olaf had gained. Elsa and Anna watched the game for a while until a thought struck the ginger. She faced the celebrity and cleared her throat, catching Elsa's attention. The blonde quirked a perfectly sculpted eyebrow, Anna taking that as an invite to ask her question.

"I've got to know… why in the world did you want me as your roadie? Your good luck charm isn't a very convincing argument," Anna said.

"True, my motives are a little different. I suppose it's because you don't fawn over me like the rest of my fans do," Elsa said cockily.

"I don't think I will anytime soon," Anna countered.

"I'll soon change that."

"You're a very confident person, aren't you?"

"You don't even have to like me to know that, kid."

"I don't not like you," Anna said, shaking her head. "I'm just not a fan like you think."

Elsa rolled her eyes yet again that day. "Whatever, Anna, say what you want."

"You're incredibly frustrating, you know that, right?"

"That's her forte," Marshmallow quipped.

"You know, I think that's why you intrigue me so much," Elsa said, removing her feet from beside Anna so she could lean forward. "You're not afraid to tell me off and give me shit. Anyone else in my fandom wouldn't dare. It would kill them first… like if you're in the Marvel fandom and you try to insult Tom Hiddleston. It just doesn't work out because you _can't_. You have this courage that really speaks to me. It's pretty fucking bold."

"Me? Bold?" Anna snorted. "I'm not the one traipsing around in my sports bra."

"Valid point, kid," Elsa smirked. "And hey, why aren't you studying?"

"I couldn't concentrate. I'll get a jump on it tonight before I go to bed," Anna said.

"Shame. I thought you were gonna ditch the idea."

"Unlike you, I actually care about my education." Anna rose to her feet and scooted out of the booth. "When are we gonna stop so I can make a list on what to get at the market."

"You don't need a list, we're not picky," Olaf assured her.

"Yeah, don't sweat it," Elsa said, waving away Anna's comment.

Anna made her way back to her room as Elsa declared it was her turn to play Guitar Hero. As she reached the door, Marshmallow's hand had found its way on her shoulder. She looked behind her to find that the enormous man had slipped out of bed quieter than a church mouse. He smiled down at her and handed her a piece of paper with his childish scrawl on it with the words "grocery list" at the top.

"They're _very_ picky but they don't like to admit it," he said gently, winking at her. "This'll help you out."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you," she breathed.

With a kind grunt, he turned back around and lumbered into the main area, sinking into the couch to watch Elsa try to best Olaf in a round of Guitar Hero. Anna entered her room and looked over the list. She found out that it was far more detailed than she had anticipated and struggled to let a giggle escape.

_Grocery List:_

_Arrowhead water because Elsa's a priss._   
_Ramen noodles that are only beef flavored. Sitron won't allow anything else in the bus._   
_Any type fruit. But not too much or money will be wasted along with rotten fruit._   
_Popcorn but not Jiffy pop. I don't trust Olaf working an oven anymore._   
_Breakfast stuff but we usually eat out for breakfast so… up to you._   
_Sodas. Elsa likes Pepsi, Olaf likes Coke, Sitron likes Seven Up, and I frankly drink anything._   
_Chocolate. Tons of chocolate._   
_Häagen-Dazs Ice Cream. Any kind. Elsa loves the stuff._   
_Frozen Pizzas. Pepperoni is the best but again, any kind._   
_Instant meals that you find in the frozen section. Anything cheap but nothing with too many vegetables as a side._   
_Protein shake stuff. Elsa likes to keep her body image._   
_Snack packages like bags of chips that come in a box. It keeps them quiet._   
_Eggs._

Marshmallow was very blunt with his list but it was humorous nevertheless. Anna felt a rush of gratitude towards the drummer. She wouldn't have known any of this information if it weren't for him. Anna rested the list on her bedside table and tugged on her shoes just in case they came to a stop so she could run to the nearest market and provide the big babies with food.

She took another look around her little room, patting a tiny beat on her knees absentmindedly. Then she looked down at her hands and frowned. Even when they weren't on stage, everyone in the band wore gloves. Oaken wore gloves. Anna was the odd man out, her hands as bare and naked as a new born baby. She could count the constellations of freckles splattered against the back of her hand, trailing up her arms until her scrunched at the elbows sleeves stopped any wandering eyes from continuing the path of Anna's flawed skin.

 _Flaws,_ Anna thought. _Mom said that a face without freckles… is like the sky without stars. Elsa has freckles…_

Anna had taken notice to the punk's lightly dusted beauty marks across her cheeks. They were dark enough to stand out on her fair skin but light enough to be missed when someone gave her a furtive glance. She had seen Elsa up close— against her will— when the punk had leaned in to give her that kiss on the cheek.

The late morning melted into early afternoon, the tour bus chugging along the highway. Anna had actually got some studying done and read one of the books she brought along for entertainment. Around the late afternoon, she returned to the main area to find the bus exiting the freeway.

"We're stopping for lunch," Elsa explained as Anna stumbled over the turbulence of the road beneath them, trying to inch her way towards one of the couches. "You hungry? We're grabbing whatever."

"That's fine just—" Anna toppled over as they hit a bump, almost falling flat on her face. But her wrist was caught by Olaf's gloved hand, saving her from losing a tooth or two.

He grinned as he yanked her up. "Careful, ginger, or you'll be eating wood for lunch."

Sitron started cracking up and Elsa snorted into her fist. Marshmallow heaved a sigh, sending his older brother a look of slight disgust. Anna colored realizing the innuendo at her expense and balanced herself.

"Thanks for the save," she grunted, flopping on the couch. "Are we gonna be near a market so I can get the food?"

"Oaken, babe!" Elsa called. "Try stoppin' near a Ralph's or something so Anna can run a couple of errands for us."

"I'll keep my eyes open," Oaken replied, raising his right hand to signal he understood.

"Where are we now?" Anna asked, peering out the window.

"Somewhere near Sacramento," Sitron said.

"Wow… I didn't realize how close to there I lived," Anna whispered. "Kind of weird… how long have we been driving?"

"Eh, about… what?" Olaf looked at his band mates for help. "Maybe five hours?"

"No way." Elsa shook her head. "A little less than that."

"Does it really fucking matter?" Sitron said.

"You're a piece of sunshine," Olaf said critically.

Anna checked in her pocket to see if the list was there since she had left the room. She wondered how much Elsa would give her to spend so she could properly stock up the mini kitchen.

Slowly, the bus came to a halt in some parking lot and Elsa got to her feet, heading towards her bedroom. She returned with a shirt and a one hundred dollar bill, handing the latter to Anna.

"I'd like the change back, if you don't mind," she said. "This town looks pretty small so I'm sure you can find your way back here. Whaddya want from the fast food place?"

"Uh… anything. I don't care," Anna said.

"Cool. All right, boys, let's get going," Elsa said, pulling on her shirt.

 _At least she has some decency to not parade her body out in the general public_ , Anna thought, following them out of the bus. _It would cause their fans to collapse for sure._

Oaken stepped out last and stood in front of the door, arms folded across his chest, making sure nobody came to ransack the place.

The band broke off from Anna and strode down the street to the nearest place for cheap, unhealthy food. The ginger, on the other hand, tucked the bill into her jeans pocket and started her journey to the market.

She returned first, balancing several bags on both arms. Oaken took notice to her struggle and rushed over to help, giving her a smile covered in a thick, light blonde mustache. Together they put away the food in the kitchen, stuffing the sodas in the fridge and the frozen meals in the freezer. She had managed to get all the items on the list and was very proud of herself for doing so. She hid the list in the top drawer of her bedside table for future reference and decided she would add to it when she learned more about Dry Ice and their preferences to food.

Once the band returned to the bus, Oaken started the engine and they headed off once again, everyone in the back indulging on Taco Bell. Halfway through the meal, Elsa inspected the newly stocked kitchen and nodded in approval.

"You've got good taste, kiddo, I'll give you that," Elsa said, smirking at Anna. "A lot of great choices." The punk stretched and massaged her neck. "I'm gonna do some writing for our next album. Knock if you need me." Elsa gave them a two-fingered salute before heading off.

Sitron and Olaf returned to the television but instead pulled up a cartoon to watch. Anna sent Marshmallow a smile and mouthed "thank you" to him. He inclined his head to her, clearing up the table.

* * *

 

It was her first night sleeping in her room and Anna was a little excited. She changed in the restroom into her pajamas— a T-shirt and boxer shorts— and brushed her teeth, re-braided her hair, and flossed. When she stepped out, Elsa was drinking water in the kitchen in nothing but a bra and boxers and her ever present gloves.

"Dude, what the hell?" Anna cried, flailing an arm.

"The female body is nothing but natural, Anna," Elsa said wisely. "It's sexualized against its will."

"I just don't want to walk out and see you in nothing but your bra and boxers over your undies," Anna whined.

"I don't wear underwear beneath my boxers unless it's for a monthly reason," Elsa told her, quirking a brow.

Anna flushed and rolled her teal eyes. "Whatever. But what about them?" She jabbed a finger at the boys who were oblivious to the conversation between them, eyes glued to the TV. "Boys are… are…"

"Are very well aware that I date girls," Elsa finished. "And they're like my brothers. They don't care. Plus, Oaken is married to his _husband_." The blonde smirked. "But thanks ever so much for your concern."

"Shut up," Anna grumbled. "Fine, whatever."

"And you're wearing boxers, too."

"In lieu of sleeping pants and I own panties, thank you very much."

Elsa snickered as Anna huffed back to her room, loving the fact she was getting under Anna's skin and making her hot and bothered. The redhead shut the door behind her and she stuffed the clothes back into one of the bags before collapsing onto the bed. She studied for a few minutes before she decided that her phone was calling for her to check out Tumblr.

She fell asleep shortly afterward, the humming and chugging of the bus lulling her into a dreamless slumber, her arms hugging the soft pillow, the clean sheets crisp over her lithe figure. She was thankful that her room had its own little air conditioning otherwise she would have been hot underneath the blankets and the tightness of the room around her.

Her thoughts wandered, as she fell asleep, to the concert ahead. Her first official day on the job was soon upon her.

* * *

 

That morning, they were crossing the border from California to Nevada, heading down to meet with the infamous Sin City where gamblers and big shots came to enjoy themselves for a weekend or so, creating memories that will forever fester in the walls of hotel rooms, strip clubs, and casinos.

The bus parked behind a large theatre where Dry Ice would be featured that night. The band stepped out, adrenaline rushing through their veins. Anna followed meekly behind them, taking in the sight of Vegas as it boomed before her. She wondered how it would look at night with all the lights blinding the occupants of the streets. Elsa threw her arms around Anna's neck and pulled her into a side hug.

"Look at this place, kid!" Elsa said, extending her other arm and gesturing to the city splayed out before them. "A place where everyone can let go for a few hours and commit the sins they've always yearned to… except murder… well… fuck, I'm certain there have been plenty of those here."

"That's great and all but aren't I supposed to be helping set up?" Anna asked, wriggling out of Elsa's hug, poking a finger to Oaken who was unloading the equipment from the space that was gutted on the side of the bus, underneath the windows, that homed the drum sets and guitars and other items essential for the band.

"Ah, you'll have time for that later. You're nineteen, you can't gamble but we'll find other things to do," Elsa said. "Oaken, are you all good here? Need techies to help out?"

He gave her the thumbs up. "Go on and have fun. Just remember that you have to be back before lunch for practice."

"Of course," Elsa nodded, pressing a hand against Anna's back and shoving her forward. "C'mon, babe, let's sleaze you up somehow."

 _I'm slowly realizing this is becoming a big mistake_ , Anna thought bitterly as she was led onto the strip like a dog on a leash.

The band started going through shops, chatting loudly and gaining much attention from local and visiting fans. People eventually swarmed them, Anna being scooted aside by one particularly snide girl. With a roll of her teal eyes, she viewed Dry Ice as they signed autographs and T-shirts, the four of them glowing with all the praise and attention they were getting, eating it up like an all-day buffet one of these casinos was sure to have.

She decided to let them be and walk around on her own, view Vegas in a different life. There was something in the back of her mind that wanted her to get her fake ID that was back in the bus and gamble a little. But that thing was for emergencies only.

"Jesus, if Elsa could hear me, she'd laugh in my face," Anna grunted.

She continued to stride down the sidewalks in the sweltering, dry heat that was the desert surrounding her, thinking about her new position as a roadie. What would she do once she got on stage? Help out with tech? Make sure the equipment was in place? Elsa had told her that Anna had to simply ensure that needs were met but there had to be something more to that, right?

Deciding that she had enough of the heat, she trekked back to where she had left the band surrounded and drowning in fans. But they weren't there. With a heavy sigh, Anna stuck her hands in her pockets and made her way to the bus, hoping to be useful in a job she was given.

Anna found Oaken by the bus, carrying Olaf's ice-white guitar tenderly in his paws. He jerked his head to the right, indicating he wanted her to follow him.

"Do the others know you're back here?" Oaken asked.

"Are you kidding? They were swallowed by fans and I was left abandoned on the strip to be eaten by buzzards," Anna mumbled, tugging on one of her braids. "Or be discovered by a pimp… or seduced by a group of hookers… or wake up some time the next morning with the boys in a trashed hotel room, Elsa's missing, I'm married to a stripper, and we slug around Vegas with someone else's baby trying to find the stupid idiot herself."

Oaken chuckled. "I'm sure they're just distracted. They'll be along soon."

"Yeah. Okay, can you tell me what to do here? I'm a little nervous," she admitted.

"I'll show you the steps," he promised.

The pair made it to the stage door and Oaken flashed his crew member ID to a security guard. Anna searched for hers and realized she had yet to get one. The guard looked her over and pursed his lips.

"She's with me," Oaken said, placing a big hand on her shoulder kindly.

The security guard shrugged and allowed them inside. Once they entered, the climbed up a flight of stairs to the main stage area.

"Whoa," Anna breathed.

Techies were swarming the stage, setting up for the concert ahead. Roadies for the opening band were strolling around, checking that equipment was in the right place for any and all set changes. Security guards lumbered about the audience with clean-up crew, the sounds of sweeping clashing with drills and clangs of metal on metal.

"It is impressive, yah?" Oaken grinned.

"Way cool," Anna said.

"So… what do I have to do?"

"Find a caterer and see if anything Dry Ice has requested has been fulfilled," Oaken said. "Remember, Elsa prefers Arrowhead, Marshmallow is fine with just about anything, Olaf's preferred snack is peanut M&Ms, and Sitron… he's hard to please but if you have Seven Up he'll keep his mouth shut."

"Right… thanks, Oaken," Anna said. "But don't I need a crew ID like you?"

He sighed. "Elsa should have given you one. Here, stay put and I'll grab you an extra from the bus glove compartment. We'll make it official on the way to Tucson with a photo… I'll be right back." He handed her Olaf's guitar and stumped off.

As she waited, she took in the backstage area around her. There was a wide open hallway that lead to dressing rooms and sitting areas. A table with snacks and beverages was tucked against a wall with some roadies hovering over it with hungry eyes. A group of crew members were smoking by the entrance to the stage, watching as some techies ascended a glass chandelier that looked as if it were made of ice, Anna assuming it was for Dry Ice's set. Drums were being tested and guitars tuned, mics checked and speakers plugged in.

Watching the behind the scenes right before her very eyes made every single movie about a concert's backstage story look like absolute crap. Seeing it for herself was more intoxicating and enticing than being in the audience and simply watching the band play. With the magic and power of the tech crew and roadies made it all worth while.

The next thing she knew, Oaken was approaching her with Dry Ice trailing behind him, sodas in their grips.

"Sorry about us losing you, kid," Elsa said, not looking apologetic at all.

"Yeah, whatever," Anna grunted, taking the ID from Oaken. "Thanks…" She gave him the guitar and he strode over to set it up.

"We got you a Pepsi," Elsa said, shoving a styrofoam cup with a plastic lid into Anna's hands. "Dunno if you like the stuff but we figured you'd be thirsty. Did you come straight here after we lost you?"

"Ah, no, I walked around for a bit…" Anna said, toying with her straw. "Thanks for the drink."

Elsa sent her a soft smirk. "No prob. Now you get to watch us practice."

"Lemme do a few things. I'll listen in," Anna said, heading off towards the snack table. The bottles of water were, thankfully, Arrowhead. She called forth a caterer and asked for some peanut M&Ms and Seven Up sodas, showing her ID and telling him she was with the band. He nodded in understanding and went off to fulfill the needs of the members.

She made a few rounds about the stage, getting a feel for what her job for the summer was going to be like. Oaken ended up calling for her help and she assisted him in moving around some equipment on stage. Dry Ice was practicing their sets, Elsa singing into the mic and making the experience a lot more bearable with some entertainment.

Anna paused for a moment while assisting a techie with bolting in gigantic wooden snowflakes on the sides of the stage to watch Elsa as she maneuvered her way around the stage as if a sea of fans were out in the audience already. Her hips were swaying in the hypnotic way again, her boots stomping and echoing on the stage. Olaf's mastery at the guitar was incredible, his fingers flying over the strings and his goofy face contorted into deep concentration. Sitron would bounce his head to the beat, occasionally sharing a grin with Olaf from across the stage. Marshmallow hit the drums hard and would slam his eyes shut, feeling the music instead of simply playing along and keeping the pace.

"Yo, I asked for another nail!" snapped the techie. "Get your head out of the clouds, kid!"

That nickname didn't sound as appealing when it was yelled at her by a stranger and she found herself preferring Elsa's purring voice calling her "kid."

"S-sorry," Anna mumbled, tearing her eyes away from a sashaying Elsa and handed him his requested nail.

* * *

 

During a break, Anna found the band in their dressing room, the four of them playing a game of poker with some chips that were supplied them. Elsa beckoned Anna over and the redhead sat beside her, watching the game progress.

"Since it's a private game, you want in? No buy in since it's for shits and giggles," Elsa said.

"C'mon, ginger ale, play with us," Sitron said, a cigarette between his teeth.

"That's the world's most ridiculous nickname," Anna told him.

"Deal with it," Sitron said, taking a long drag before tapping off some ash. "Alright, Olaf, I'll call your bluff." He tossed a couple of chips in, the plastic making a cheerful clacking noise as they bounced on the wooden table. "Elsa, your go."

"Mm…" The punk looked over the community cards, rubbing her lower lip between her top and bottom teeth. "I think I'll fold." She slid her two cards into the discard pile. "I don't want to lose to either of you."

Marshmallow, who had already folded, chuckled. Anna watched as Olaf dealt the final card into the community line-up. Neither he nor Sitron showed any signs of emotion as they contemplated their next move.

"Call," Olaf said, pushing out two chips.

"Raise," Sitron declared.

"You're so damn impulsive," Elsa said.

"Go big or go home," Sitron said.

Olaf rolled his eyes and called his raise. They turned over their cards to reveal that Olaf hadn't been bluffing in the slightest. Sitron swore and threw his cards across the table, scowling. Elsa, Marshmallow, and Anna laughed as Olaf smugly collected his winnings.

"So, Anna, are you in or out?" Olaf asked, his face brightening as he looked at her.

"Uh… sure," Anna shrugged. "Why not."

As it turned out, Anna was actually not very able to be discreet with her private cards. Her poker face was the worst thing in the world, giving everyone present a hint on whether or not she had a good hand. Elsa would keep beating her, snorting into her gloved fist when Anna would pout.

Surprisingly enough to almost everyone present, Anna was not the ultimate loser. Sitron and his impulse lead him to going all-in against Elsa, the poor idiot bluffing as hard as he could. When Elsa upturned two aces with a straight face, the bassist kicked over the chair he had been sitting on and stormed out of the room.

With the door open, the remaining four heard the rumble and hum of fans entering the theatre. Elsa sucked in a breath and her icy eyes fell to the floor.

"God… it sounds like a huge crowd tonight," she whimpered.

Anna turned to her, bewildered to actually hear the sound of fear from the rockstar. Marshmallow rose to his feet and slammed the door, muffling the sounds of the awaiting people in the seats.

 _Wait, isn't this part of my job?_ Anna reminded herself.

As Olaf sat at the vanity to touch up his hair gel and Marshmallow adjusted his gloves, Anna reached over and rested a tender hand on Elsa's knee, grabbing the blonde's attention.

"Hey, look," Anna said calmly, "everyone out there is ready to see the world's most famous rockstar right now. But it's perfectly normal to get… cold feet." She tried for a pun and successfully elicited a laugh from Olaf. Fighting a smile, Anna continued. "But I saw you on stage during rehearsal today and you _own_ the ground you walk on. Now, I may not worship it but I can respect it… for now, at least."

The corners of Elsa's mouth twitched and spread into a grin. "You're right. Ha, thanks, Anna." She slugged Anna in the arm playfully. "See? You're better at this than you made yourself believe." She jumped to her feet as Sitron ran inside, shutting the door behind him anxiously.

"Holy balls in hell that's a lot of fucking people," he gasped. "I think this is the biggest crowd we've played for ever!"

"Sitron, you moron!" Anna whined as Elsa's eyes widened. "She was just fine until you had to be a… be a…"

"An asshole?" Olaf supplied.

"Yeah, that!" Anna said ("Do you not swear out loud?" Sitron asked but was ignored by all). "Elsa, it'll be fine! Those people are your subjects and you're their queen. Make 'em bow down!" Anna thrust an enthusiastic fist in the air. "Your smirk has been rumored to destroy the world, didja know that? Make it happen!"

"We still have the opening band's slot," Marshmallow pointed out. "Elsa can't exactly do that until—"

"You're _not_ helping," Anna snapped.

"No, no, I'll be fine," Elsa promised. "I'll keep that in mind, kiddo. Thanks."

* * *

 

The show went off without a problem, Elsa dominating the stage with her powerhouse voice and scrumptious hips, the crowd eating up every lyric and chanting her name. The after party was to be held in the Mirage Hotel in some deluxe suite supplied to them by the owners of the theatre.

A party in which Anna was forced to attend.

When the show had ended, the band refreshed themselves in their dressing room just as they had back in Arendelle until Anna had come to collect them. She had made a comment about heading to the bus in order to study and then hit the hay but Elsa would hear none of it. She grabbed Anna by the hand and literally dragged her to the hotel, the boys hooting and hollering with excitement.

"Don't worry, kid, I managed to get you your own private room, just as you requested," Elsa said in her ear as they headed into the lobby. "But you have to stay at the party for at least two hours and have three drinks for me to give you the key."

"You're the worst," Anna grumbled.

"Baby, just roll with it!" Elsa said.

"But I don't have any of my things," Anna complained.

"It's not like we're staying here for three nights or whatever," Olaf added, the five of them piling into the elevator. "Just overnight. You can shower off the sins in the morning and change into clean clothes when we get back on the bus!"

"You guys are trying to kill me or something," Anna said.

"Not today," Marshmallow joked.

"Spectacular," Anna sighed.

They reached the top floor where a bunch of groupies and fans were already waiting. Everyone cheered when Elsa stepped over the threshold of the elevator and right into the room. The band was engulfed by the crowd, Anna tagging along for Elsa's gloved hand was still gripped around her wrist.

By midnight, Anna was reaching her first hour and a half, nursing her second drink. It was some weird concoction that Sitron pushed into her hand and Anna's tongue was tracing the top of the straw as she stuck it inside her mouth. There was a slight hazy buzz hanging over her head as she people-watched.

It wasn't the first time Anna had alcohol or similar substances underage. She had been to plenty of Rapunzel's sorority mixers and Hans was always there to share a beer with her every now and then when they had dated. But she was refraining from drinking herself silly so she could be refreshed by the time they hit the road to Tucson the following morning.

Over the night, she had found the band members scattered with different groups of people. Olaf was usually found with a few fans, talking them up and making them laugh. And it wasn't the I'm-a-fan-so-I'll-laugh-for-you kind of laughs. It was pure, genuine laughter. Anna could tell the difference. Fake laughter was sometimes overdramatic if done by an amateur but if done by a professional, it wouldn't be as rich as a true laugh. A real laugh was when someone's face lit up like New York City at night, their smiles would grow wide, and the laughter was always uplifting to everyone around them. And Olaf was some kind of laugh master.

Marshmallow was a wallflower, like Anna, but people actually came up to talk to him. Occasionally he would wander around and talk with Olaf's group or go and flirt with some of his female fans, a goofy grin on his face. It was as if he wanted the attention and wasn't afraid to earn it. Anna was usually a social butterfly but this wasn't exactly her crowd. She had tried to chat up a few people but eventually found herself leaning against the wall with half of that bitter drink Sitron had given her.

Speaking of Sitron, he was the loudmouth. He would stand up on the bar, do something stupid, and get laughs that way. He was drunk already, begging people to dare him to do some odd task that he ended up doing anyway, attempting the claim the title of "dare king" by the end of the evening.

Elsa was a different story. As popular as she was, she only stuck to one specific group. Some of her worshipers— mostly girls— who would giggle and flirt with her all night. She was buzzed, no doubt about that, and had that look in her icy eyes that told Anna lust was winning over everything else in her body. She wondered if Elsa was the kind of rockstar that slept around, taking advantage of her inebriated fans and insist they should call themselves lucky.

When Anna had torn her eyes from Elsa to watch Sitron bolt to the restroom to most likely vomit the ten pounds of finger foods he had shoved into his mouth, she couldn't help but groan. This was the kind of thing she was afraid of: wasting her time at parties where the only people she knew were off and doing their own thing. She gazed hopelessly down at her drink, pondering on whether or not the drunk Elsa could be convinced that Anna had drunk more than she had and stayed longer.

Deciding that she wanted to get to bed and sleep this night off, she gave her drink to some random party-goer— who downed it in half a second— and started pushing her way through the crowd to the huddle of couches where Elsa was sitting. When she shouldered around a taller girl, she found Elsa making out with some groupie— or fan, Anna couldn't tell— beer cans and bottles littered along the floor.

Not caring she was interrupting this session, Anna tapped Elsa on the shoulder, causing the punk to pull away from her potential one night stand.

"What?" Elsa slurred.

"My time and drink limit is up," Anna told her, raising her voice so she could be heard over the music. "Give me my card."

"Fine," Elsa grunted, shoving a hand in her pocket and handing Anna the key card. "Floor right below us. 407, I think." She gave Anna a sloppy smirk as the girl started kissing Elsa's neck. "You sure you wanna leave, kiddo? You're gonna miss out."

"I'll live, thanks," Anna said. "Do I need to get you some sort of protection?"

"First of all, I'm unable to get any of these gals pregnant 'cause it's anatomically impossible. Second, _Mom_ , I'm clean," Elsa gargled before shoving her lips onto the girl's once again.

Anna rolled her eyes and began to dive her way back into the crowd and towards the elevator. Sitron spied her and asked where she was going but before she could answer, he was whisked away by a few fans. Olaf and Marshmallow didn't see her leave so Anna was in the clear, jabbing the down button and stepping into the elevator.

Once the doors slid shut, the music and noise was muffled and Anna could enjoy some peace and quiet for the rest of the night.

* * *

 

They finally trudged onto the bus around ten in the morning, Anna and Oaken sitting at the booth with McDonald's breakfast spread out in front of them, four individual meals waiting for the hung over Dry Ice on the kitchen counter.

"Have a nice night?" Anna asked slyly, her headache from the small amount of alcohol long gone.

"Fuck off," Elsa moaned, grabbing one of the bags and forcing Anna to scoot aside for her to sit.

The three boys gathered their breakfasts as well and went to different points in the bus to munch on a well deserved meal.

"How'd that girl do you for last night?" Anna said to Elsa.

"What? Oh, that chick I was making out with? That's all we did," Elsa said. "I pick and choose my sex partners, kid."

"Shocking."

"Why? How so? I give myself and the girl dignity?"

"Nothing… never mind." Anna bit into her hash browns, enjoying the unhealthy fried food.

"Oaken," Olaf grunted from the couch. "Is it true that whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?"

"It should be so, yah," Oaken confirmed.

"Great… that's good news," Olaf said weakly, nodding.

"Shall we hit the road to leave the Vegas happenings behind us?" Oaken offered, squeezing out of the booth and walking to the steering wheel.

"Please," everyone but Anna begged.

"To Tucson, then!" Oaken said cheerfully.

The engine roared to life and Oaken maneuvered the bus out of the parking lot and to the open road, chugging down the street and to the highway. Anna glanced out the window beside her to watch the rolling desert, the sound of the hungover grunts of the band fading away.

Although last night wasn't her favorite, it was actually fun. Hanging out backstage with a popular band, watching a concert come to life, listen to music for free, go to a party and try out a few drinks, and flop down into a hotel bed she didn't have to pay for. Sometime that morning, Elsa had slipped her a one hundred dollar bill, saying she'd give Anna more if she could but there were some billing complications that she had to clear up or something. Anna didn't really hear the reason but she was getting paid very well for basically being a motivator.

 _Yeah_ , she thought smugly, leaning back in the book and taking a sip of her hot chocolate. _I can get used to this._


	4. Celebrity Skin

Sometime that morning when Elsa was still asleep, Anna woke up to find the bus parked in some rinky-dink town in the middle of the desert. It was about the size of Arendelle from what she saw from the windows and there was a pearly grey haze of clouds hanging over the roofs of houses that the sun would eventually obliterate. It was only she and Elsa on the bus, the four other boys nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe they're getting breakfast," Anna mused, sitting down on the couch she had been leaning on to get a view of their newest stop. She yawned and stretch, sleep still trying to glue itself to her freckled skin.

The bus shuddered with the weight of a foot and voices were heard. Anna lolled her head to the doorway as Olaf, Marshmallow, and Sitron came inside, Oaken's gruff accent coming from outside of the bus.

"Where'd you guys go?" Anna asked, quirking a brow.

"We went to check some stuff out around the town," Marshmallow said, grinning at her.

"And we have a proposition for you," Sitron added.

"Oh?" Anna inquired, sitting up straight.

"Anna, as adorably innocent as you are, you just don't fit the Dry Ice look," Olaf said. "Plaid shirts? Blue jeans? Twin braids— and don't give me that look Elsa keeps it as her signature look but you give off the sex appeal as one of those red pandas at the zoo. And, last but never least, _no gloves_. These things—" He flashed his dark brown gloves that homed his hands. "—are the corner stone of Dry Ice, a fashion statement that has completely gloved this nation. We need to… punk you up."

"You'll be scene at best," Sitron shrugged.

"But if you're gonna be a roadie, you're gonna have to blend in," Olaf supplied, nudging Sitron in the ribs.

"Yeah so you won't be mistaken by a stalker-fan or some shit," Sitron said, nudging Olaf back.

"So… how do you propose on doing that?" Anna said, getting a gut feeling that this plan may very well involve some kind of dragging her to places against her will.

"Get up off your ass, kid, we're taking you shopping," Sitron said, a malicious smile flickering across his face.

"But what about—?" Anna was cut off as Olaf grabbed her hand, pulled her to her feet, and started pulling her outside of the bus, ignoring her consistent pleas and questions.

"Stop fidgeting, Anna," Marshmallow sighed. "Just let it happen because these idiots are very… keen on making you over."

"But I don't need a make over!" Anna whined.

"Yes, you do!" Olaf insisted. "C'mon! You'll have fun! We'll even buy you lunch and you don't have to worry about the cost of the clothes and such. We got that covered!"

Going limp around her arm, she allowed Olaf to take her far from the bus, Sitron and Marshmallow following closely behind. She looked back to the bus, hoping that Elsa wasn't going to get mad at her for being taken to some stores on a shopping spree against her will.

"What's our first stop?" Anna asked finally, wrenching her hand from Olaf's grip.

"Where else to get graphic tees and skinny jeans?" Olaf said.

"Uh… where?" Anna said, cocking her head to one side.

"Hot Topic!" Sitron announced boldly, appearing at her side and pointing towards a mall in the distance. "The loudest store in the mall! And the best."

"And the most expensive," Anna muttered.

Either they didn't hear her or they ignored the comment because they kept trucking on down the sidewalk, by passing mom and pop shops and discount clothing stores and perhaps a high school. It really was a lot like Arendelle but without the lush surroundings and the bearable heat.

They entered the mall via a Macy's to the familiar scent of new shoes and freshly shipped clothes. There was music playing gently over the speakers as the four walked through the main part of the mall, heading towards the Hot Topic that was standing proudly on the second floor, waiting for new and constant costumers alike.

There were two employees there when they walked through the open entrance. One tatted boy by the cash register, ringing up a purchase for a plump teenage girl who had big glasses and a shirt that had a Triforce on the front, her friend waiting with her in line, chatting to her about something Anna couldn't hear. The other employee was a girl with gauges in her ears and several piercings on her face, checking a price tag of some of the bracelets. She had short, black hair and fair skin, her lips painted a dainty red. The boy was tall with a grey beanie dangling off his black hair, his skin a tan color.

She noticed the gang of young adults walk in and gave them a careless glance.

"Welcome to Hot Topic," she said tiredly, Anna guessing she wasn't too thrilled to be working in the mornings.

 _Same_ , Anna sympathized.

"Thank you," Olaf said, walking up to her. "D'you mind if I ask for your personal assistance?"

She looked him up and down and shrugged.

"Sure. Whatcha need?"

"We're looking to punk up our friend Anna, here," Olaf said, gripping Anna's shoulders and bringing her forward.

The girl looked her up and down before humming.

"What exactly are you going for?" she said, turning back to Olaf.

"Dry Ice Chic," Sitron imputed, earning a snort from Marshmallow.

"Dry Ice, huh?" the girl said. She looked from Olaf to Sitron to Marshmallow and back again, dawning comprehension falling over her face. "Oh! Oh, oh, oh! Aladdin!" The boy at the cash register looked up, the two girls heading out of the store with their shopping bags. "Dry Ice is in our store!"

"What?" he gaped, his eyes snapping onto the three band members. "Oh my god!"

"I'm so sorry for not realizing it before," the girl said shyly. "My name is Snow. Of course I can help you, uh, Dry Ice her up." She sent Anna a smile. "What's your size, honey?"

"Uhm… well, usually a small in woman's but Hot Topic size, a medium in woman's and a small in men's," Anna said with a sheepish grin.

Snow giggled. "Yeah, our sizes can get ridiculous. Alright! I think first thing's first is a good old collection of graphic tees."

"Exactly what we're going for!" Olaf approved. "Get her some band tees, skinny jeans, the works. Any wristbands you got, we'll take. White, black, and blue are our usual colors but don't be afraid to toss in others as well."

"Right! Of course," Snow said, heading over to a shelf of Dry Ice related shirts. "C'mere, honey, let's pick out what works best for you."

The boys watched as Anna and Snow made several rounds about the store, Aladdin soon following close behind, carrying T-shirts, jeans, and other items Anna had picked out. She and Rapunzel would go into Hot Topic occasionally but Anna hardly ever had enough money to buy anything unless it was their buy two get one half off deal. Even then she usually threw a couple of buttons from their container in there to break even. Now she had the freedom to spend, spend, spend on clothes that she only dreamed of wearing.

Olaf allowed her to buy a few shirts relating to her favorite shows such as Doctor Who and Adventure Time to give her the benefit of the doubt of being forced to wear clothes that weren't exactly her style. But Anna seemed to be enjoying herself finally, the two employees gushing over the choices she made.

She gathered a shirt, jeans, a belt, and a few bracelets to try on in the dressing room and came out, looking very much like part of the band. She was wearing a graphic tee with "Dry Ice" all in bold, white lettering on a black background, dark blue skinny jeans, a nerdy belt with the TARDIS all over the outside, and bracelets with different shows or phrases around the rubber exterior. She extended her arms out at her sides, raising her brows at those watching and gave them all a goofy grin.

"How do I look now?" she asked.

"Holy fuck," Sitron whispered.

Anna's face fell. "Is it that bad?"

"No!" Olaf assured. "Anna, you look kick ass! I mean, the piercings should be changed up a bit… ah, you guys know where we can get Doc Martens?" He inclined his head to Snow and Aladdin.

"There's an inexpensive shoes store a block from the mall," Snow offered. "Better prices than the chain stores around here. It's called Bolt."

"That's perfect. Okay! Anna, get changed and we'll buy the stuff," Olaf said, rising to his feet from one of the stool supplied him.

"Hey, wait," Marshmallow said. "What about the gloves?"

"Oh, that's right!" Sitron said, nodding. "You two have any fingerless gloves?"

Aladdin furrowed his brows and exchanged a thoughtful look with Snow.

"I think we might have a pair," Snow said slowly. "But they've been in such short supply since you guys became, like, the biggest band ever."

Olaf chuckled jovially. "Gee, thanks. But it would mean so much if you could check for us."

"Of course," Snow said with a helpful nod. "I'll be right back."

Anna slipped back into the changing room and redressed herself in her red and black plaid shirt and faded jeans. She came out and handed the stuff to Aladdin, who put them in the pile of soon-to-be purchases. Snow returned with one woman's pair of black fingerless gloves, looking slightly grim.

"This is all we had back there. Lemme see your hand, honey," she said, curling a finger to indicate she wanted Anna to come closer.

The redhead approached and extended her hand, Snow slipping the glove onto Anna's until the top half of her fingers showed through the spaces and her knuckles where exposed by the square shaped opening that matched the gloves of Dry Ice.

"It feels perfect," Anna breathed.

"It is perfect," Olaf said, clapping his hands once enthusiastically. "Look at that, Anna! You're a regular roadie of Dry Ice. Did you know Hans didn't even have gloves?"

"Well, duh," Sitron said. "He was a big fucking asshole. His sponsor was good but… he refused to wear the things."

"Anna's better than Hans anyway," Marshmallow pointed out.

Anna removed the glove and smiled. "Thanks guys. This is really cool of you."

"No problem-o, kid," Sitron assured, winking at her. "Allllllright! Now we have to get those Docs and… something with your hair."

"We'll figure that out later," Marshmallow said, helping Aladdin out with taking the copious amount of clothes to the register, a few onlookers spotting the three members of Dry Ice. "We've got company."

"Right," Olaf nodded. "Let's pay and get the Docs before we head out to find a salon."

He whipped out a credit card and handed it over to Aladdin, punching in his required information in the machine. Anna felt a little guilty for having them spend this much money on her but Marshmallow assured her they could both afford it and wanted to do this for her.

With everything stuffed into Hot Topic bags, Snow and Aladdin waved goodbye to them, autographs and thank you notes in their grips. Anna was glowing with the pampered treatment she was receiving, no strings attached. They ducked into a local shoe store together where they were helped by a bubbly girl named Penny who helped run the store with her mom. A white dog was sleeping by the entrance and a black cat was prowling around the rows of shoes. Anna was fitted into three pairs of Docs. One navy, one black, and one forest green. With those in boxes, they headed to a hair salon.

Anna soon found herself in a chair, being examined by a Peruvian boy about a year older than she was who went by the name of Kuzco. He paced in a circle around her, pressing his hand to his chin, deep in thought. The three others were watching intently, every now and then exchanging incredulous looks.

"So?" Anna managed to pipe up, her teal eyes following Kuzco as he came to a stop in front of her.

"What exactly are we going for here?" he said, his lidded eyes examining her ginger hair.

"Uh… well… ask them," she said, jerking her head to the band listening in.

Kuzco raised his eyes to the boys. Olaf cleared his throat and stood up, followed by Sitron and Marshmallow. They stood beside Kuzco and stared at Anna, making her feel like an exhibit at a museum being observed studiously.

"Well, we all have white something in our hair," Sitron pointed out.

"You mean everyone in the band has really light blonde hair but you have frosted tips," Marshmallow said, glancing at him.

"Hey!" Sitron snapped, folding his arms across his chest. "At least I got with the program."

"Maybe Anna could get white highlights," Olaf suggested.

"No, no," Kuzco said, reaching forward and undoing Anna's braids. "Her hair is far too beautiful to mess around with like that. Perhaps a single, bold, white streak from here—" He pressed his index finger to the right temple of her head just above where her bangs and hair were parted. "—down to here." He trailed said finger down along the undone braid, making it flow through her ginger locks and to the end of her hair. "That way, if she braids it, is can always show. It'll be big enough to be seen but small enough so it won't take away from her pretty face."

Anna flushed. "Sure. I like that idea."

"Excellent," Kuzco approved, shooing the others away. "Give me room! I need to work." He flexed his fingers with a smirk that could match Elsa's, nodding to himself. "Alright, Anna. Let's get started."

The next thing Anna knew, Kuzco was working some kind of magic on her hair, giving it a full treatment of shampooing, conditioning, drying, and dying. His fingers felt incredible as they massaged her scalp. It had been such a long time since she had gone to the salon to take some of that stress off of her head so the pampering he was giving her was absolute heaven on earth.

He worked on the streak away from the mirror, intent on making the reveal a grand finale. The three band members had been told to turn away so they couldn't spoil anything for his client. After a few minutes of making it blend perfectly with her hair, he told everyone to look in the mirror and spun Anna around.

Just as he planned, Anna's hair now had a shock of white running through from the top of her head to the very bottom, standing out beautifully against her brilliant red hair. The boys examined it, too, and all burst into applause, Kuzco bowing smugly to his audience. Other people in the salon craned their necks to find the source of the zealous clapping swamping the room of all other noise.

After Olaf paid forward and gave Kuzco a generous tip, they went to a restaurant for some lunch, Anna toying shyly with her knew streak of white. The four of them were crammed in a booth at some sandwich place, Marshmallow and Olaf splitting a large hoagie, Sitron getting a turkey and swiss on rye, and Anna sticking with a BLT.

"So," Olaf said, mouthful of hoagie, "how d'you like your new look?"

"It's different but…" Anna ran a hand through her hair, the rarity of having it down effecting her more than she thought it would. "I think I'll adapt."

"You don't have to change your personality," Marshmallow told her. "All we're doing is making you look the part."

"Like acting," Sitron proposed.

"Exactly," Marshmallow said. "Putting on a costume and getting paid for it."

Anna giggled. "Thanks, you guys. This has been a great day. Too bad Elsa was asleep."

"Yeah, we wanted this to be a surprise for her," Olaf said. "Before we go, I want you to change into that outfit you tried on in Hot Topic with gloves and hair down and all. Make Elsa see the new you!"

"I can't wait to see her face," Sitron laughed.

"She'll be baffled, no doubt about that," Marshmallow said.

"Why?" Anna wondered.

"'Cause once she sees the innocent little Anna turn all punk right before her eyes, she won't know what to do!" Olaf said gleefully. "I mean, you don't have tats… we could go get you—"

"No thank you," Anna said quickly. "I'm not really ready for one yet. That and cartilage piercings… and eyebrow stuff. Not like you and Elsa, Olaf." She fiddled with her fingers. "Is it painful?"

"Depends. Mine didn't hurt too much," Olaf said, his thumb pointing to the eyebrow piercing above his right eye. "Elsa has those cuff things on her left one, y'know, and I'm guessing those hurt like a motherfucker. Cartilage piercings on the other hand…" He openly shuddered. "Those bitches… ugh, I couldn't sleep on my right side for the longest time. Those hurt. Elsa handled hers pretty well but she was swearing like a sailor when she got it."

"Tattoos are a different story," Sitron jumped in. "It really depends on where you get them to guess the pain level. I my experience, my tattoo on my back kinda felt like a cat was scratching at a really bad sunburn."

"What do you have a tattoo of?" Anna asked him.

"I have several," he said. "Between my shoulders is a lucky horseshoe. On my left thigh is a quote from that movie Spirit… which is actually blanking from my memory so fuck, I can't tell you what it is. And then I have a rearing horse on the back of my right leg."

"You have some weird thing with horses, don't you?" Anna guessed.

"Uh-huh," Sitron said shamelessly, finishing off his sandwich.

As requested, Anna went to the restroom and changed into her new and improved outfit but with Doc Martens on her feet and gloves over her hands. Her hair flowed down across her back as she walked, bouncing lightly on her shoulders. She returned to them and put her old clothes and sneakers in the bag her new clothes were once in and shouldered what she could.

"Shall we?" she said.

"Let's!" Olaf beamed, tossing a fifty on the table.

The four began their walk to the bus, the summer sun beating down on them and the citizens around the town. The sidewalk was sizzling with water that had escaped a pipe, stray dogs lounging in the shade for a relief from the heat. Anna's hands felt like they were being steamed, as if they were a common vegetable. She questioned if that was normal and Olaf responded that she would get used to it.

As they approached the bus, Olaf and Sitron both walked directly in front of Anna, telling her to keep quiet because they wanted to have a little fun with Elsa first. Once they were a few feet from their mobile home, Elsa came bursting out of the vehicle, her braid swooshing behind her at the speed she was walking. She was absolutely livid, her icy eyes bright and angry, trying to turn her band members into frozen statues.

"Where the _fuck_ have you been!?" she demanded, stopping in front of them, her chest heaving. "Oaken said you went out but didn't know where. I'm stuck in there, worrying my fucking ass off, hoping you haven't been murdered by some sun-crazed lunatic!" She searched the group, only finding the three boys who were staring at her with slightly wide eyes. "Where's Anna?" Her voice dropped into panic and concern rather than anger almost at once when the roadie's name rolled off her tongue.

"We—" Olaf was almost hesitant to joke around but Sitron apparently didn't get the message that Elsa was working herself up into a frenzy about Anna.

"We lost her," Sitron said grimly.

"You… you _what_?" Elsa's face contorted into rage once again. "She's just a fucking kid and you _lost_ her!?"

"Yup," Sitron said, nodding. "It's a shame. Sometime during our shopping spree—"

"Stop it," Marshmallow said coolly. "Elsa, we didn't lose her." He reached behind Olaf and Sitron and tugged Anna out by her shirt sleeve. "But it's not really the same Anna you remember."

Elsa froze as the soft punk Anna was revealed to her, waving shyly with her gloved fingers.

"Hiya, Elsa," Anna said. "Sorry I worried you."

The punk stared, blinking stupidly, her mouth parted ever so slightly until the top row of her white teeth were visible.

"How does she look?" Olaf said jovially, a cheeky grin appearing on his face.

The loss for words was weighing on Elsa until she snapped herself out of her stupor. She cleared her throat and averted her gaze, Anna swearing that there was a soft blush tinting Elsa's cheeks, making her ears turn slightly pink in response.

"You look nice," Elsa said quietly, quickly. She glared at the boys. "Can we go now, please? Tucson awaits us."

"Yes, Elsa," the three said as she turned on her heel and marched on.

Olaf started laughing, clapping Anna on the back and leading her to the bus.

"She loves it!" he said.

"She didn't sound like it," Anna said.

"Ah, she just didn't know what to say," Sitron assured, hitching the bags higher on his shoulder.

* * *

 

The booth was occupied by Anna that evening, her iPod in her ears, studying. She was leaning against the wall with her legs stretched out in front of her so her whole body took up one seat. Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow were taking turns playing Assassin's Creed while Elsa looked on, a notebook full of potential song lyrics in her lap. She kept stealing glances at Anna, trying hard to ignore the way her hair swept into her eyes.

 _Fuck_ , Elsa growled in her head, forcing herself to stare at the paper or the screen across from her.

Unable to stand it any longer, she decided to strike up a conversation with the kid. After all, it would give her a chance to look her over without seeming like a creep. She closed her notebook and got to her feet, sitting in the booth across from Anna. She reached over to tap her arm to gain her attention but Anna spoke up before she even made contact.

"What did I say about my iPod in my ears?" she said, not taking her eyes off of her book.

"To not bother you," Elsa recited.

"And what are you doing?"

"Bothering you."

"It's not an emergency, Elsa."

"I want to ask you something important."

"Can't it wait?"

"No."

Anna slowly raised her eyes from her book and glanced at the rockstar. With a heavy sigh, she marked her place and removed her earbuds.

"What?" she said. "I'd like to finish this chapter by the end of the night."

"Did they force you to dress like this?" Elsa asked, lowering her voice so the boys wouldn't hear.

It was kind of against her will to ask that question. It just sort of tumbled out but now she couldn't take it back. But it did give her the opportunity to check Anna out in the most subtle way possible, hiding her leer with concern for Anna's well being.

She _did_ mean what she said that morning. Anna looked very nice, attractive even, in the new clothes. The way Elsa's usual type of girl dressed but Anna brought a homey charm to it, making it all the more adorable and it was simply _unfair_ because Elsa didn't want to think like that about Anna.

"At first but I really got into it," Anna answered pleasantly. "It was fun and I agree: I should look like I'm actually a part of the band."

"Anna, I never asked you to change," Elsa told her.

"I didn't personally change," Anna said. "I just… look the part, as Marshmallow put it."

"It's only your first week on this tour and you're convinced you have to look the part?"

Anna rolled her eyes. "No, not like that! I mean, who's gonna listen to some mountain town kid with plaid shirts backstage of the most popular band in current news? I'd look ridiculous. This way I can actually appear to know what I'm doing."

"I feel guilty…"

" _You_ feel guilty? I never thought I'd live to see the day," Anna giggled.

"Shut up," Elsa growled.

"Elsa, you don't have to worry about them influencing me," Anna said, giving her a smile. "Frankly I'm flattered and thankful they were generous enough to take me out shopping just so I can fit in with you guys. I've been feeling self conscious about not having gloves so this was actually a great day." She dropped her eyes back to her book. "Besides, aren't you the one who insisted on sleazing me up?"

"Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself, kiddo," Elsa said, her smirk crawling across her lips. "You're soft punk at best but not sleazy in the slightest." She shook her head, scooting out of the booth. "Don't let this new outfit control you. You have no idea what being a roadie or a punk is all about just yet." She winked at Anna. "Control yourself, stupid."

Anna stuck her tongue out at Elsa. "Whatever, punk."

* * *

 

Sometime at another pitstop, Oaken had made Anna's official Dry Ice ID. She had a picture of herself in the corner with her full name beside it and the words "Dry Ice Crew Member" in bold below. She felt so… a part of something for the first time in a very long time. It came with its own lanyard, courtesy of the band itself, with "Dry Ice" stitched in icy lettering against a black background.

The bus' next stop was Tucson, Arizona, arriving late in the night before the concert. Anna had been up, unable to sleep, by the time it made its way into the city. She had a window that was in line with the shelves but above her the side of her bed. It was high enough that she could press her body against white walls instead of plexiglass that was smoked— or frosted as Elsa preferred to call them— from the outside.

So when they got off the highway, she pulled down the pair of headphones she brought along with her to watch the rolling desert pass them the closer they got to town.

There was something about traveling that really made her feel cozy and homely, being in one secure place as the world rushed by. She gathered her knees up to her chest and turned out the light to view the landscape in its natural beauty. Stars were scattered in the sky and she could have sworn she saw a couple of coyote picking their way along the open road.

Her toes wriggled in her socks, her shirt hung loose around her figure, hair down and dangling, and her reflection was faintly seen in the window. She wondered if the rest of the band was seeing this spectacular view…

Then again, she didn't deem them as the type to stop and gawk at nature. They were too focused on their careers and practicing their let's-annoy-the-new-kid tactics.

She had drifted off with her back against the wall, her head just barely scraping the bottom of the first shelf, snoozing with her iPod still blaring some song that she had on loop, the bus crawling towards an outdoor theatre similar to the one Dry Ice performed in when they visited Arendelle.

So it was no surprise to her then when she woke up the next morning with her neck stiff and her back killing her.

All she knew was that she wanted coffee.

And she wanted it _now_.

She wasn't a morning person like she so often claimed. She would wake up with bed-hair, morning breath, and glued eyelids. The full, beautiful package of unsophisticated grace. Elsa attempted to tease her about it but Anna sent her a glare that surprised everyone in the bus. It was so unpleasant and bitter, they found themselves doubting that was the same Anna that was usually cheerful and peppy.

Once the door locked behind her, Dry Ice exchanged looks of shock, unable to find any jokes to explain Anna's disgruntlement or ease the mood. However, when she came back out refreshed and more awake, she sent them an apologetic, sheepish grin before creeping back to her room to put away her pajamas.

When she returned the front, everyone present was cracking up. Olaf was giggling, supporting himself against the bunks. Marshmallow was guffawing as he sat on the couch, shaking his big, heavy head. Sitron was snorting like a horse, leaning on the doorway near the wheel. Elsa was laughing into her gloved fist, still in the kitchen where Anna had left her.

"I don't understand why that's so funny," Anna told them, pouting and tugging on her leather gloves.

"You were like the devil's wife right then," Elsa managed through laughs. "Trying to melt the world with your glare."

"Pardon me for hating the morning," Anna said lowly. "Can we please get some coffee? I'm gonna be a zombie until I have caffeine in my system. Caffeine and a doughnut."

"Well… _you_ can get some coffee," Elsa said, reaching into her pocket and producing thirty dollars from her wallet. "We have to get to practicing until lunch. You can keep the change this time and hopefully this can cover it."

"Right. I'm the errand girl," Anna sighed, taking the money from Elsa. "What do you all want?" She got her phone out of her pocket and pulled out her notes, ready to take their orders and feeling like a damn waitress.

"I'm content with a hot chocolate. That's all," Elsa said, tucking her wallet back in her pocket.

"I'll have a latté with more cream and sugar than coffee," Olaf chirped. "And carrot cake if they have it."

"Black," Sitron said.

"Racist," Elsa teased.

"You're a fucking asshole," Sitron spat at her.

Anna rolled her eyes at the childish banter as Marshmallow spoke up.

"A vanilla smoothie for me. I don't do coffee much," he told her kindly.

"Great. Awesome," Anna said, tacking the last of the orders into her phone. "I'll go on a wild goose chase for some Starbucks… or something. I'll see you guys back here soon."

She left the bus only to be greeted by the heat of the early morning. It was unlike that other desert town that had a grey overcast that would be melted away by the sun. Instead, the sun was full blast and trying to melt _Anna_.

She instantly regretted wearing black that morning.

 _It's too damn hot this early_ , Anna grouched to herself.

Some godlike entity led her to a Starbucks and she almost fell to her knees in prayer. Her gloved hands were slicked with sweat on the inside and she swore she saw some of it trickling out of the little space in her thumb's hole that appeared when she flexed and spread her fingers. But her stubbornness to commit to the band won over her need to pull them off.

So she grabbed the door handle, allowed a couple to pass through first, and entered, thanking the inventor of air conditioning for being born and thanking their parents for doing the do and the generations before to make that even possible. She approached the counter meekly and placed the orders, handing over the thirty dollars as payment.

After she got her change and got the drinks, she rushed her way back to the bus. Now that she knew the way, she could get there easier and duck underneath the shade that awnings provided.

She felt guilty, however, when she approached the bus. She didn't even ask what Oaken wanted to drink. He had slipped her mind because he wasn't in the room with the rest of the band. And he had been so nice to her throughout the trip so far so her guilt only multiplied. When she delivered the drinks to the thirsty band, she tried to offer Oaken her own coffee as a form of apology.

He rejected it kindly, telling her he wasn't a big coffee drinker anyway. He thanked her for considering him and told her she could make up for it by helping him out in moving a few sets around after she finished her breakfast.

And Anna did just that.

Over a break, Olaf and Anna went out to get lunch just the two of them. Anna wanted to get to know him since he was the most bubbly of the group and the one she felt she could warm up to the easiest. Not that the others didn't give her a desire to get to know them but Olaf was just so fun to talk to.

They spent over an hour in a little diner, snorting into their milkshakes and talking about the stupidest things. Eventually, she brought up the matter of his tattoos.

"So… you have how many tattoos?" she asked him, quirking a ginger brow.

"I have two," he said, his finger tapping against his plate. "One of them is here." He pointed to the "I like warm hugs" wrapped around his bicep. "And the other one is on my lower back. It's a melting snowman with 'I love summer' beneath it in hella creepy writing."

"Ooh, really?" Anna said, grinning. "The hugs thing… you seem to have a thing for them. You got the tattoo and the shirts and stuff. What's up with that?"

"I just love giving hugs!" he said cheekily, flashing a goofy smile at her, Anna noticing that his two top front teeth were slightly bucked. It gave him more of a childish appearance, a cartoonish appearance. It put her at ease for some reason. "Giving and receiving. The best medicine for sad friends, a good congratulations, and the thing you do when you greet someone you haven't seen in forever."

"You're really something special, aren't you?" she mused, cocking her head to one side

He colored and giggled. "Awh, Anna, you're a sweetie."

"And you're nicer than you usually let on," she winked as she reached for her soda.

"We all have our soft underbellies," Olaf pointed out. "It just takes time to discover them. I mean, Marshmallow and I are easier to understand than Sitron and Elsa. Sitron can just be an asshole, though. Elsa still remains a mystery to me some days. She gets harder and harder to read."

"Interesting," Anna hummed. "But I know she's grateful to have you around," he told her. "She may not show it as often as you'd like her to but she is. Too big of a head to admit that she wants more help from people like you."

She flushed. "I dunno about that."

"Plus, I have a gut feeling you're gonna get along with us just fine," he assured.

"Thanks, Olaf. I'm glad I have a new friend." "Don't mention it, and me too! I love new friends!" He jumped to his feet. "Now who wants a hug?"

Anna giggled and got out of her chair, allowing the guitarist to embrace her. In an instant, she wrapped her arms around his waist, his around her shoulders, and she felt that this was the warmest hug she had ever received.

Hands down, Olaf gave the best hugs in the history of mankind.


	5. We Are the Champions

The concert, like so many others before them, was a great success. Anna spent most of her time in the dressing room helping get the band ready and motivating Elsa to get out on stage. The blonde seemed more at ease when Anna kept telling her she was perfect— although there was a dumb smile on Anna's face that told everyone she was having a hard time not giggling because she knew very well she was only beefing up Elsa's already inflated ego. During the concert, Anna was side stage, watching them preform.

As obnoxious as some of them were, Anna was coming to appreciate their music and how passionate they were about their talent. The way they all collaborated flawlessly on stage, Olaf and Sitron teasingly mimicking Elsa's hip movements, making her giggle in the middle of a song, only to further please the audience, loving how carefree the lead singer was. Sometimes the three of them would stand in a line center stage during an instrumental break and do some goofy synchronized jump, moving left and right with their feet. It was a silly move but the crowd seemed to like it, cheering them on. It made the punks look fun and relatable.

Once more, Anna was dragged to the after party. However she was pleased to see the party wasn't as insane as the one back in Vegas. It was in some club in an upstairs room where there was a dance floor and full bar. The music was pounding against the walls and fans were wall to wall.

"So!" Elsa said loudly as they walked over the threshold. "You should go out, have fun, and flirt with a couple of guys to take home with you." Elsa winked down at Anna, smirking suggestively.

"Elsa, I don't date boys anymore," Anna responded, the musicians pushing past them to head into the party to get their night full of fun started.

"Really?" Elsa said, her eyebrows shooting upwards. "I just assumed."

"Boys have been bad luck lately," Anna admitted.

Elsa started laughing. "Well, then. Find some cute girls!" She pat Anna on the shoulder supportingly and headed off after her band mates.

With her new outfit, Anna was able to chat with a few people, downing a few non-alcoholic drinks. She even danced with a couple of girls. She didn't have any intention on taking anyone back to the hotel room. That wasn't how she rolled.

But it was nice to not be a wallflower for once. At one point, Sitron told her to loosen up and just have one drink before the party was over. Deciding to go with the flow, Anna went up to the bar and flashed her crew member ID, wondering if that would get her a drink without an actual ID.

And it did.

 _Perks, I suppose_ , she thought pleasantly, a beer being slid down the bar and into her grip.

She took a swig, her cheeks being warmed by the delicious brew. She peered out into the crowd, trying to spot the members of the band. Sitron had found a rather drunk fan and he himself was hammered, kissing her messily against the wall, causing Anna roll her eyes. Olaf was, as usual, making the group around him laugh until no sound was coming out, tears in their eyes. Marshmallow and a few fans were talking a few feet away about something that was making the big guy smile.

Elsa was no where to be found, no doubt dancing with some fan in the mess of bodies swarming the dance floor or drinking with a friend or possibly flirting with someone against the wall, making their knees weak with one minuscule sashay of her hips or brush of her lips on their ear as she whispered something into it.

When Anna looked to her left, she found some guy with a skin-tight black shirt, tattoos all over his arms, spiked up brown hair, and jeans that were a little too baggy on him, causing them to slump down until the top of his boxers showed and he was— ugh— sagging. His breath smelled like alcohol and he clearly had one too many, his irises darkening as he continued to leer at her.

 _Fuck_ , Anna thought.

"Hey," he said, leaning closer.

Anna leaned back, averting her eyes.

"What's your name?" he continued. "Ah, it don't matter. We both know that this'll be just for the night."

"Excuse me, but you're not my type," she told him bluntly. _And I'm not drunk enough to find you the least bit attractive._

"Awh, Babe, we can change that," he said, leaning further towards her and pressed his mouth uncomfortably close to her ear.

"I mean that seriously. I'm not into guys," she whimpered.

Her excuses were failing and she knew it. This douche wasn't going to take no for an answer and she was terrified. Nobody was watching her being harassed by a drunk and horny… well… Anna was sure he was some kind of frat boy by the amount of liquor he appeared to consume and the way he dressed like he was a wanna-be rapper.

He gripped her wrists tightly, slopping beer all down her front, her (new) black shirt that had R2D2 with a mohawk on the front becoming soaked. He grinned down at it, giving Anna chills. The leather gloves fell just below her wrists so she couldn't slip out of his grasp as slickly as she would have liked. The material made it much harder, causing a tough friction when she attempted to move, the sticky, sweaty residue from earlier that day keeping her hands in place inside the glove.

"C'mon, let's go back to my place and I'll teach you why guys like me are the shit," he growled.

"I can already tell you're shit, thank you very much," Anna spat at him. She hardly ever swore out loud but this situation called for it. She wasn't going down without a fight at least.

He scowled. "I'm not asking your opinion!"

Meanwhile, Elsa had a fan at her mercy, kissing her temple and lips, causing the girl to squeal in delight. She wasn't too far away to not hear Anna, and paused her kissing fest when the cry of her roadie reached her ears. She whipped her head in the direction of the bar and saw a rather repulsive boy trying to force himself on her. Something snapped in her, a protective instinct kicking in like a ranging snow storm. Anna was clearly not interested and was appearing desperate, trying to get away from him.

"I'm sorry," Elsa breathed into her fan's ear. "I need to handle something."

Before she could respond, Elsa had vanished, her combat boots leading her to a scared Anna and a drunk offender. When she reached them, everything after that was the most swift and most fluid movement Anna had ever seen. Her shoulder was grabbed by a gloved hand, she was pulled back and the man's hold on her wrist slackened, she was suddenly standing behind Elsa, witnessing her sink her other fist into the man's stomach. All of that happened in such a blur, the only thing she registered fully was Elsa punching the guy. He doubled over, trying to keep his insides from coming up his throat, clutching his abdomen in excruciating pain.

He let out a mangled cry and people around them started to back off, Elsa letting go of Anna's shoulder so she could continue berating this asshole. She shoved the heel of her hand into his shoulder and forced him to stand up straighter so she could look him in his pathetic eyes.

"Did she fucking say yes to you, pig?" Elsa snarled into his face.

The club went silent, everyone watching the lead singer scowl into this stunned man's astonished expression.

"Did she consent to you?" she continued, digging her fingers into his skin, the thin shirt not doing much to protect him.

"Ah! N-no!" he spluttered.

"Oh, so you _do_ know that word," Elsa growled snidely. "Next time a girl says it, how about you fucking _back off_." She kneed him between the legs and he sank to the floor, groaning and holding his wounded pride.

Elsa stood back, cracking her knuckles. That's when she realized all eyes were on her. She rolled her icy orbs and spread her arms.

"What are you staring at?" she demanded. "Get back to partying and ignore this fuckface."

The music started up again and everyone returned to the party around them. Elsa turned on her heel and grabbed Anna's hand, but not unkindly like he had.

"C'mon, kid, let's get out of here," Elsa said. "I feel like eating Mexican food. I'm buying."

Without any words to say, Anna allowed Elsa to take her out of the club, down the stairs, and into the warm summer night. She simply watched her savior of the evening as she led them around the town, looking for a Mexican restaurant that was open this late.

But the only thing that was available was a Taco Bell.

Elsa didn't care. She took it anyway.

They entered the fast food joint that was full of drunk college kids and stoners, all of them loudly talking about what they wanted to their friends. Elsa managed to fight her way to the front and ordered a bunch of things Anna didn't hear. She was still in shock over how easily Elsa took down that guy. That powerful punch in the gut must've hurt looking at how fast he went down.

When they got their orders in plastic bags, Elsa took Anna outside and they sat on the curb in the dead night, feasting on their late dinner.

"Thank you," Anna finally choked out. "You didn't… I could have—"

"Yes, I did and no, you couldn't have," Elsa responded, biting into a taco, her face still set in a furious glare. "He was a disgusting pervert and deserved that punch. Although, he didn't deserve me touching him." She glanced at Anna, her gaze softening. "You okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay," Anna confirmed, biting meekly into her meal.

"My social faux pas better not show up in the papers," the punk muttered.

Anna choked on her quesadilla. "That's a big term for you, Elsa. Faux pas! Wow."

Elsa punched her in the shoulder. "I know my vocabulary, teach, you don't have to act surprised I aced the test of fucking life."

"You're impossible."

They sat in silence for a while, Elsa's icy eyes upturned to the heavens, taking in the sight of the stars dancing across the sky. Anna imagined Elsa lazily sticking a cigarette between her pale lips and taking a long drag, blowing out the smoke gently into the air but reminded herself that Elsa didn't smoke. The image was entertaining to say the least.

Sitting on a curb in the black night was comforting. It was just the two of them, the occasional passing car, crickets, and the lone howl of a coyote in the distance. It wasn't cold enough for their breath to smoke out or warm enough to be fanning their faces, it was the perfect kind of temperature. Like a fresh spring afternoon after a rainfall. And Anna was oddly content eating junk food with a rock sensation on the side of the road, watching the city of Tucson fall asleep.

"So… this may seem like a stupid and personal question," Elsa said, breaking the silence, "but I really want to know. Who was your first time?"

She didn't need to look at Anna to see the blush that fanned across her freckled cheeks. Anna fidgeted and tangled her fingers together, trying to keep calm.

"It was…" She cleared her throat. "It was Hans."

"That's unfortunate," Elsa said sympathetically.

Anna giggled. "Yeah, you could say that. But he made me unafraid of… y'know, getting a little naughty." Elsa snorted into her fist and Anna pressed on, smiling. "Which was good news for my next serious relationship, which was my first girlfriend."

"Oh yeah? What was she like?"

"Awesome. I mean, we were really great friends beforehand. Her name was Merida and we were the feistiest couple on campus." Anna smiled wider, becoming lost in fond memories. "We dated for half a year and we just couldn't get enough of each other. We'd go see our college football games, snuggle underneath this blanket her mom made for her in the winter, her parents and my parents got along, and both of our families really just adored the hell out of our relationship…" Her smile faded. "But then she had to move back to Scotland with her family for her father's business. We broke it off but still talk on Facebook and stuff. We're friends." She leaned forward and got a taco out of the bag, unwrapping it and munching on the hard shell. "Sucks 'cause I thought we'd go the distance. I had a few hook ups with boys before her but I could never get past making out. I was too hurt by Hans. So I dated girls and… well… they were so much better. I was still hesitant to, you know, go there. But then Merida came along." It was then she realized her mouth was running without an off button. Was Elsa even interested in her rambling? "Sorry, Elsa, I didn't mean to tell you my love life's story."

The punk laughed, licking the grease off her exposed fingers. "It's okay. I like hearing you talk. You're very… animated. In a good way, I assure you." She sent Anna a smirk. "You've got quite the track record for being only nineteen."

"Well, I started dating Hans when I had just turned eighteen and lost my v-card about two months later," Anna admitted. "So it's not really news."

"Ah, I see," Elsa said, nodding.

"How about you? I spilled, now it's your turn," Anna said, grinning.

"There's actually not much to tell."

Anna gasped dramatically, clutching her heart. "Is this true!?"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I told you, I pick and choose my lovers." She took a sip of her Pepsi. "At first, I dated around to get a feel of my sexuality. I didn't get too big of a chance in high school because of… reasons." She shifted in her seat nervously. "It was when I was eighteen when I started _really_ trying to figure it out. I hooked up with more girls than boys, though. Last year or so I dated this guy for a few months because I thought, hey why not give guys a try and see where it takes me… it didn't really work out. So I stepped back and analyzed the relationships before him. And every single one that turned out to be a success— up until the break ups and whatever— were with girls. It was then I realized that, shit, I really, really liked girls." She put down her drink and pulled her knees up to her chest. "But I still picked and chose the girls in the end. I was focusing too much on my career to get into anything too serious. My first time sexually was with a girl, actually, when I was seventeen. One night stand. Then after this big life changing thing, I decided that I had to really trust my next one."

"Olaf was right. You are hard to read," Anna teased her.

Elsa cracked a grin. "When you and I are closer friends, I think I can reveal what I want to you. But you'll have to wait. It all depends on circumstance."

"I'm prepared to earn that trust," Anna said stubbornly. "You'll see."

"I can't wait to see you try, kid."

After they finished their bag of Taco Bell, they headed to the bus instead of the hotel. It was a closer walk anyway, Elsa reasoned, and the hotel rooms they rented were shit.

"Olaf has the keys," Elsa had continued. "And I don't think we can pry one off of him easily."

Oaken was in his chair when Elsa knocked on the closed door. He opened it up and let them in jovially before sliding it shut behind them. As they passed through the doorway, Anna leaned towards Elsa to hiss in her ear.

"Where does _he_ sleep?" she asked.

"To be honest, I've never seen him sleep," Elsa responded quietly, taking a hook that was in the doorway and pulled an actual door out, the thing sliding smoothly against the hardwood floor to give them some privacy.

It was like one of those doors in a kitchen that separated it from a dining room. Anna used to play with the one she had at her house when she was little until her mother told her to knock it off. But now it was a decent add-on to the bus, complete with a small lock to hold it in place.

Elsa pointed down at the couch and Anna obeyed, sinking into the plush exterior. Elsa picked up a remote and turned on the television, flipping through the inputs until she landed on the game slot. She tossed Anna a Playstation remote and flopped down beside her with her own and they played a few rounds of a co-op game Anna had never heard of. But it was fun with just the two of them playing in silence, their Taco Bell digesting.

When the game tired, they decided to call it a night, Elsa stumbling into her room and Anna heading into hers. She changed, snuggled into the still crisp sheets, and sighed. It had turned from bad to better really fast and she had Elsa to thank for it.

* * *

 

The bus hit a hard bump and Anna woke up with a start, bolting upwards, only to bang her head on the shelf.

"Awh, _fuck_!" she groaned, clutching the throbbing bruise.

"Language!" came Sitron's teasing voice from the other room, eliciting a laugh from the others.

Pouting, Anna slumped out of bed as carefully as possible, the turbulence of the bus not doing her clumsiness much justice. She managed to make it to the bathroom without falling or tripping over her own feet. When she finished getting ready for the day and returned her pajamas to her bedroom, she joined Elsa and Olaf in the booth, leaning her arms on the tabletop and smiled sleepily at them.

"G'morning," she yawned.

"Morning," Elsa said. "You're up late."

"What time is it?" Anna mumbled, blinking slowly.

"Almost ten. But we've yet to get breakfast," Olaf said. "Going to a diner in a bit for some good ol' fashion American food."

"Cool. So what's our next stop?" Anna asked.

"We actually have to stop in this town near Santa Fe 'cause our manager got us a little gig for a detour between here and Salt Lake City," Elsa said. "He also wants us to show us our music video for 'Let It Go' because it's finally finished. _Finally_." She rolled her eyes. "Fucking budget with the edit equipment and whatever else. I was so excited when he told us we would release the video a few months ago but then he pulled the fucking plug at the last minute."

"I'm sorry," Anna sympathized. "That's frustrating."

"No kidding," Olaf added. "It's gonna be a super cool video, too. With all these animated snowmen worshiping Elsa, a _huge_ ice chandelier like you see on stage with us a lot, and an ice palace. We wanted our fans to see it since the song was such a big hit. We need a new album soon, though. So our manager probably wants to discuss that."

"Elsa is also the world's biggest procrastinator when it comes to song writing," Sitron spoke up from the couch on the left side. "She claims she has writers block regarding our next album."

"That's why we mostly do covers, save for 'Let It Go,'" Marshmallow finished.

"You guys, I'm stressed out enough," Elsa snapped. "I just… haven't found the right inspiration."

"You'll find it," Anna assured her.

Elsa sighed and ran a gloved hand through her platinum hair, the leather frizzing it up at the end. She had no escape, Anna blocking the exit in the seat she was sitting in so she looked out the window instead, leaning her chin in the palm of her hand, elbows on the table.

"Well, she better find it soon or Kai'll be pissed," Olaf said, stretching.

"Kai?" Anna questioned.

"Our manager," Olaf said. "Or as he _prefers_ to be called: our agent. Even though he's not licensed by the state of California or whatever."

"He only likes it 'cause it sounds more official," Sitron cackled. "He's a nice guy but can be a hardass. Like, how Oaken's a teddy bear but can be the scariest motherfucker on the planet if you piss him off," Olaf explained. "Kai is usually easy going and kind but he wants things done _on time_ , no ifs, ands, or buts."

"We're not his easiest clients," Marshmallow admitted.

"But we're his most successful," Elsa reminded them. "And that's what keeps us around."

Anna was lost in the conversation but would nod whenever she deemed appropriate.

The trip to Santa Fe took a few hours but they managed it just fine, stopping only for breakfast. They ate lunch in the bus using some of the food Anna had bought, which was slowly being eaten at a satisfying rate. Meaning Anna wouldn't have to go grocery shopping any time soon.

Before they reached the city, Anna holed herself up in her tiny room to study while Dry Ice gathered around the booth to try to write a few songs and talk about their music video. The air held a mixture of panic and excitement for the four of them. Becoming a hit band in such little time was stressful in spite of the parties and fans and money… life was good, but stressful.

Anna had decided to leave them be for a while so they could think clearly, her headphones on her head and a pencil writing down a few notes from one of her textbooks. Before dinnertime, the bus came to a stop in front of a tall, glass building that looked very important from where Anna was standing when she followed the band off the bus. It was the studio on which they would be finally viewing their video.

Standing by the front doors, waiting for Dry Ice to approach, was whom Anna assumed was Kai. He was a portly man who was taller than Elsa but shorter than Olaf, balding with brown hair on the sides of his temple, sideburns that could never outmatch Hans', and a rather large nose. He was bouncing on the balls of his feet, hands folded behind his back, and looking either impatient or enthralled— Anna couldn't tell.

"Kai, old friend!" Elsa greeted, striding up to him.

"Elsa, do you want to explain why I got a call from Westerguard Amps telling me why you fired their youngest son?" Kai said, his face darkening.

Anna slowly inched behind Marshmallow, suddenly feeling very afraid she was going to get fired because she was most likely the reason Elsa had finally rid the band of Hans. The drummer straightened his back, acting as her protector, giving her comfort.

"Ah… well…" Elsa rubbed the back of her neck, looking very ashamed. "You didn't mention this in our phone calls—"

" _Because_ I wanted to show you how fucking pissed I am," he said.

Nobody in the world seemed to make the Snow Queen fall to her knees to beg for forgiveness before but Kai was coming close to it. Very close. She was averting her gaze and kept shifting from foot to foot.

"Elsa had a perfectly valid reason to fire Hans," Olaf tried. "He was rude, snide, and wouldn't do his job when we asked him. It takes five times to get him to contact the caterers about something small."

"Kai, we got another amp sponsor somewhere in Rapid City," Marshmallow tried to sooth.

"You don't get there until you're two months in," Kai reminded him harshly, the big abominable snowman melting under his gaze. "From here, you travel up to Seattle, back down to San Antonio, a zigzag to North Carolina— Rapid City stop in South Dakota that you _need now_ — to Louisville, and then finally to the big enchilada New York where you're concert is going to be recorded for a live album, a DVD, _and_ will be live streaming via tons of website, the biggest being YouTube. And I'm even mentioning the amount of stops in several cities on the way." He whipped out his phone and shook it at them, trying to stress his point. "I planned this entire thing for you and you decide to stick with shit-tastic amps until you reach Rapid City."

"But we don't need Hans anymore anyway," Sitron said meekly. "We have a better roadie. She's already proven herself greatly in the first week and is… she's not a big fan but she's… she's a good roadie, promise."

"Oh?" Kai said, raising a thick brow. Elsa turned, desperate for some help, eyes searching for Anna. Marshmallow sent the redhead and apologetic glance over his shoulder and stepped to the side, revealing her to the steaming manager. Elsa tugged Anna forward and smiled at Kai.

"This is Anna… Anna… uh… oh my god." She turned to her. "I don't even know your last name, that's totally my bad!"

"It's cool don't worry about it," Anna assured her, stepping over to Kai. "My name is Anna Christensen. I'm nineteen, a college sophomore turning junior this coming school year, and have spent a week in the care of Dry Ice. I'm an official crew member, help the techies, other roadies, and ensure that everything is in place for their big nights." She extended her gloved hand to him. "It's nice to finally meet you, sir."

Kai looked her up and down before smiling warmly and taking her hand in a firm, business-like grip.

"It's nice to meet you, Anna," he said formally. "I assume Elsa is paying you well?"

"Yessir," Anna nodded, ignoring the offended scoff from the blonde behind her.

"Good… good, I see," he said, placing his hand back behind his back. "I suppose we can wait until you meet up with the sponsor in Rapid City when the time is right. Come along, now."

"What about our gig?" Elsa asked, the six of them heading into the building.

"That begins tomorrow night," he told her. "Santa Fe. Then you'll be off to Salt Lake City."

"And the video?" Sitron pressed.

"The video should be put up on YouTube tonight," Kai said to the band, the elevator shuddering and ascending to the twenty-fifth floor. "Hopefully we'll have more views than that Star Wars kid."

"Uh, Kai, that was in… like… 2007," Olaf said. "Maybe even a little after that."

"I thought that joke was dead now," Anna said quietly but went unheard by all.

"I'm sure we'll get views," Sitron said casually, leaning against the mirrored wall of the elevator. "We're the hottest— oops, sorry— _coolest_ band around right now. Once word gets out that we have a music video for 'Let It Go,' the fans will go nuts."

"Frankly, we shouldn't be concerned," Marshmallow said, the elevator coming to a stop and the doors gliding open.

* * *

 

The music video for the song was flawless. It was the first time the band made her jaw fall open because of their talent alone. The scene set in the video was on a lone mountain with Elsa traveling up, singing the song. In the stars, the band played their instruments above her and their images would sometimes change to being in the swirling snow. When it go to the chorus, the entire scene changed and she was on an icy stage, snowmen and women in the pit below, cheering the band on.

Eventually, Elsa created a humungous and gorgeous ice palace, the camera cutting to close ups of the boys as they played. Elsa seemed to have mythical powers over snow and was thrusting her fist in the air to make it snow all over the place. Her outfit was similar to the usual thing she wore on stage but it appeared as if it were made out of ice itself, sparkling and shining against the reflections of her palace.

During her belting of "let the storm rage on," she was on a balcony of her palace, the band all in some sort of ice-looking outfits, the camera panning out to show the true power and size of the fortress that was Elsa's and Elsa's alone.

"Fuck," Elsa whispered once the video ended with links leading to the band's website and Facebook page.

"Awesome," Anna breathed, unheard by everyone but Elsa.

The punk smirked. "Hypocrite."

"You're a bitch," Anna hissed back.

"With pride," Elsa snickered, winking at her.

"So, what do you think?" Kai boomed, snapping the girls out of their quiet exchange.

"It's amazing, Kai," Elsa said. "The chandelier, the palace… your boys worked wonders."

"On YouTube tonight, right?" Olaf said, his eyes widening like a child's on Christmas Day.

"Yes, that's the plan. You can see why it took so long now. Here, let me play this back until—" Kai leaned over the laptop they were gathered around in his vacation office and pulled the video back to the point where Elsa is strutting onto the balcony to her awaiting band. "This part took thirty-six hours to pan. The costume was animated, of course, so add that onto the time slot. This video is very entr'acte and we wanted the final execution to be flawless without any rendering problems."

"I like the switches," Sitron nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. "Everyone's included."

"But of course," Kai said, smiling warmly. It was a better look on him than the scowl he wore while yelling at Elsa. "We want to make sure the band is a unit."

"I like it," Marshmallow said, as if his opinion would settle the matter entirely. "The ice looks real. It adds on to the meaning of the song."

"Speaking of song meanings," Kai said, inclining his head to Elsa. "Are you going to ever tell me what 'Let It Go' is all about?"

"Kai, that is for the song writer and her bandmates to know only," Elsa told him sternly.

"And speaking of song _writing_." Kai chuckled darkly, landing Elsa right where he wanted her. She groaned, not believing she had fallen into his trap. "I trust the next album is going well?"

"We're… working on it," Elsa said, casting her eyes to stare at the laptop, peering into her own face that was displayed on screen, that seductive smirk on her features as she swaggered onto the balcony.

"I'll just convince myself that you're almost done," Kai said tiredly, standing straight and wiping his brow with a handkerchief. "Anna, you tell me. How'd the music video look to an outsider?"

The nervous expression on Elsa's face vanished and she sent Anna a cheshire cat-like grin. Anna glared at her before addressing Kai.

"It was a good video. I think that every fan will watch it over and over and share it on Twitter, Tumblr, and Facebook until the internet breaks," Anna said supportingly, refusing to meet Elsa's gaze again. "I know for a fact my cousin'll be obsessing over it for quite some time."

"Excellent! Our first outsider review," Kai said, clapping his hands together and rubbing them, as if he were plotting something devious but his face was bright and sunny. "Glad you have such a loyal fan on your team."

"She's not a fan," Elsa snorted. "She's a cocky little—"

" _I'm_ the cocky one?" Anna interrupted. "Look who's talking."

"Baby, you know you love it," Elsa said, sending Anna one of her most seductive smiles.

Anna swallowed but didn't break their eye contact, determined not to let Elsa get to her.

"I happen to think it's rather off-putting," she said, raising her brows. "Do you?" Elsa retorted. "Oh, Anna, Anna, Anna." She shook her head almost pityingly. "You still have so much to learn about me."

" _Anyway_ ," Kai cut in, the corners of his mouth twitching. "I want you all to go get something to eat, a goodnight's sleep, and be fresh and ready for your concerts in Santa Fe."

"Wait, what? Plural?" Anna said, her brows furrowing.

"Yes! Starting today, Dry Ice is going to be spending numerous days in every stop," Kai said. "Two the minimum, four the maximum. It brings in more opportunities and it's the norm for bands to have more than one night at a certain place."

"The reason we've been only having one night shows is because of some weird complication that Kai tried to solve," Marshmallow explained. "But he finally managed to get around it in time for Santa Fe's performances."

"Which is why for the rest of the trip, we'll all be busy, busy, busy!" Olaf applauded.

"I mean, fuck, there's a lot to set up for us so it seems kind of stupid to just spend one night at a place, y'know?" Sitron pointed out.

"Oh… right," Anna nodded, fiddling with her hands.

"Let's go back to the bus," Elsa said. "I don't think our hotel is ready yet."

"That'll be tomorrow evening," Kai assured, them sinking into his chair. "I'll be in touch, kids. I will also be returning to California this time next week. Any problems or questions, give me a ring. Oh, Anna—" He handed her a business card from one of his desk drawers. "—that means you, too."

"Right," Anna said, giving him the thumbs up.

* * *

 

Everyone was gathered around Anna's laptop that night as it rested on the booth, each of them stuffing their faces with greasy pizza, waiting for Kai to text Elsa to announce the release of the video. All but Elsa had removed their gloves so they wouldn't get damaged or smudged. Nobody spoke. No words were needed. All they did was shove the slices of cheesy goodness into their mouths, waiting.

Waiting.

Elsa's phone buzzed and she dropped her dinner on her plate, wiped her slippery gloves on her jeans, and checked her text.

It was out.

Anna leapt into YouTube and they checked the video, watching it in all of its glory on the world famous website. Elsa was, once again, trapped by Anna sitting beside her and wanted to go lock herself in her room to avoid having to see her video fail, if it did at all. She had done that the first time "Let It Go" was released to the general public as a single and she was so incredibly anxious she shut herself in her bedroom and refused to leave until Olaf shoved the ratings (that were, of course, absolutely stupendous) underneath her door.

But that damned redhead wasn't going to budge anytime soon so Elsa had to sit there, glued to her seat, and face the music.

Literally.

Every few minutes, one of them— save for Elsa— would reach over and refresh the page, watching the ratings as they skyrocketed. They were slow ratings at first but they were climbing as the night went on. Marshmallow had checked his phone and saw that their Facebook page and website both had shared the video and the link to it on YouTube. The knowledge that it was out was growing, the five of them wondering if their success was going to be inevitable.

"I can't," Elsa croaked hoarsely. "Anna, please move."

Anna shifted out of her seat and Elsa bolted towards her room, slamming the door and locking it behind her. The redhead sent the others questioning glances but they all shook their heads at her. So she sank back into her seat and they continued their game of ratings watch.

It was sometime around three in the morning, the four left in the main room nodding off on the couches and in the booth, when Sitron woke up to check the views. His hollering woke everyone else up, finding the bassist jumping up and down like a maniac in the middle of the area.

" _Five hundred thousand, baby!_ " he cheered. "We're so fucking awesome we hit five hundred thousand and counting already!"

Olaf, Marshmallow, and Anna were on their feet, adrenaline and joy thrumming through their veins. Marshmallow was able to coax Elsa out with the news and she joined them in a selfie— Anna included— around the laptop, the five of them wearing goofy yet delighted expressions and pointing at the views counter.

Champions, indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please do leave kudos and comments. I would greatly appreciate the support since I'm no longer on FFN.


	6. A Certain Smile

Santa Fe's concerts were… more exuberant than the ones Anna had seen so far. Elsa seemed motivated, animated, and her voice was far stronger than it had been before. The redhead reasoned that it was because of the views the music video was receiving. The astounding five hundred thousand grew into one million by the second concert in the city, giving the band a whole new reason to celebrate during the after parties.

All of which, Anna avoided.

She didn't want to waste anymore time by dancing with girls, being hit on by gross guys, and drinking underage without her fake emergencies-only ID (although that was a perk she would most definitely save for later). So she did her job, studied on the side, made sure the band was all prepared before the party, and then left to her hotel room for some free room service and a nice night curled up with one of her textbooks.

Sometime during one of the shows, she checked the YouTube video to see how fast the views were growing and scroll through the comments. Besides the occasional spam and misogynistic comments about Elsa having to dress more like a girl and that she should be in the kitchen making a sandwich (all of which Elsa saw and simply laughed) and blah, blah, blah, the feedback was all positive. Anna lost track of how many times she had watched the video on her break, falling under the breathtaking spell of the magic of the video. Swirling snow, frozen fractals, and crystalizing chills blew here away, Anna leaning in a corner to stare at her phone screen for the three minutes and forty-four seconds the video lasted throughout the song.

Elsa caught her before the second show started and started taunting her, asking Anna if she had fallen for her yet like so many others had before the ginger. She had received a hard smack in her shoulder by Anna as she stormed away, red faced. The punk was left laughing, rubbing the stinging skin that the leather-clad hand of her roadie caused.

On the final eve of their Santa Fe stop, Anna had made a quick run to the supermarket to pick up a few groceries before they headed off to Salt Lake City. To her surprise, she was accompanied by Marshmallow when he found her leaving through the stage door. So as she strolled through the aisles of canned goods and loafs of bread, she had a large man with his white hair shaved on one side in a white leather jacket trailing behind her, his lidded eyes observing the produce with more interest than they really deserved. It was rather humorous, as if she had a body guard to ensure her shopping went without her getting harmed.

Whenever Anna made a stop to grab a specific item, he'd pick up something off a shelf and read the ingredients, his eyes squinting until they formed a fine line on his thick face. If something was out of reach, he'd kindly get it for her and then pat her on the head with his gloved hands, as if she were some kind of child. He was chivalrous and wouldn't take no as an answer when he would get something for her, the ginger flustered that he was assisting her. But Anna found all of it quite endearing. He was a big, cuddly protector that could scare the living shit out of someone with one mean glance.

"Hey, I really need to thank you properly for helping me out last week," Anna told him as they strode to the check out line. "With the grocery list an everything."

"It's not very fair that Elsa's making you do all the pick up work without help," he said, shrugging his heavy shoulders.

"Well, I'm learning quickly that she's not very thoughtful towards others," Anna said critically. "Besides the time she beat up that one guy who was trying to have his way with me… otherwise, I don't think she cares about anyone but herself."

Marshmallow frowned some but didn't say anything. All he gave her was a tiny pat on the shoulder. Anna didn't know if it was meant to be supportive or to tell her to watch herself. Instead she sent him an expression that was an interesting cross between apologetic and grateful.

With all the groceries in bags, they started to go back to the bus, walking slowly along the sidewalk and stopping every few minutes for Marshmallow to sign a few autographs from fans who were still emptying the theatre a few miles away, heading back home or out to parties.

"So, tell me something," Anna said, breaking the silence in the warm air. "Well— two things."

"Sure," he grunted, hoisting a bag higher on his shoulder.

"One: is Marshmallow your real name? 'Cause if it is, how'd Olaf get away with a normal sounding name but you got something out of Judy Blume's Fudge Series?" Anna asked, raising her brows.

Marshmallow let out a laugh. "My real name is Marshall. Marshall Kollsvein," he began.

" _Kollsvein_? So Olaf is Olaf Kollsvein?" Anna tried to suppress a giggle.

"That's right," Marshmallow grinned, winking down at her. "But I never liked the name Marshall and kept trying to change it. Olaf used to tease me about it all the time and tried various nicknames like Marsh-head or Marshall-Law. All of which were very stupid and uncreative." They turned a corner, their grocery bags crinkling under their grasps. "But one day, while I was eating s'mores, Olaf came up to me and called me Marshmallow… and I liked it and it stuck— no pun intended."

"But why'd you keep it around as a stage name?"

"I thought it was funny. A big guy— bigger than his older brother which only adds to the comedy— being called something cute like Marshmallow. I mean, those things are fluffy and tiny for the most part. And look at _me_." He looked down at her, still smiling. "Do I really fit that picture?"

"Not… not entirely."

He laughed again, shaking his head. "What was your second thing?"

"Why did you come with me tonight?" she said, her voice getting small.

His brows shot up, blinking down at her with confusion.

"Did you not want me to come?" he wondered, feeling like he had forced his presence on this itty, bitty roadie.

That was the last thing he would have wanted to do to her, after all. She was so nervous to be around the band and it took her a while to ease into their ridiculous shenanigans such as dragging her around a desert town to shove some Hot Topic tees on her and cover her hands with leather gloves and dye a significant amount of her hair white. Olaf and Sitron were loud and very fast-talking so it was to be expected out of them to try to make themselves heard by the roadie. Marshmallow had no intention on making her feel uncomfortable.

"No! No, I just… I thought you'd want to go to the after party," she whispered.

"To be completely honest with you, Anna, I'm not a fan of the parties," he told her earnestly, relaxing with realization. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a gigantic wallflower… _literally_. I could fit in a greenhouse. Sometimes I sneak away to go to a bar and watch a game. I like the peace and quiet in a dive bar than a stuffy, smelly hotel room where all my friends are trying to get themselves laid… well, _Sitron_ tries to get himself laid. Elsa fools around with fans and Olaf makes everyone laugh until they pee."

Anna patted his giant arm, her hand looking tiny compared to the mass of his forearm. He almost, _almost_ winced at the touch but it was so kind and so caring that he felt comforted for some odd reason. It made him feel like she was watching him as much as he was watching her, taking care of one another from afar.

"Maybe next time you and I can grab a drink together," she said shyly.

"I'd like that," he agreed.

They continued to walk through the city, the warm summer air hanging all around them. The occasional breeze gusted by, making her long hair flutter on her shoulders and his massive white hair blow into his eyes. Anna broke the silence suddenly, her eyes getting big and a huge, childlike smile spreading across her face.

"Ooh, I gotta know! How many tattoos do you have?" she asked eagerly, jumping up and down as they turned another corner, the bus in sight.

"One."

"Only one?"

"On my shoulder." He pointed a thick finger to his right shoulder. "It's an abominable snowman that looks like it's ripping through my skin." Anna made a face and he chuckled, warm and deep. "Sorry, kid, I thought it was cool when I got it. Still do."

"I'm not judging you," she promised as they reached the bus doors. "And I really shouldn't have expected anything less."

"What _did_ you expect?"

"I dunno… maybe a rabbit?"

"A rabbit?"

They stared at one another for a split second, the bus doors wide open but Oaken no where to be found, most likely running a few last minute things backstage. It was silent between them once again, crickets chirping in the background. Then they started laughing, Anna letting out little snorts and Marshmallow rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, a slow bond growing between the two that had been formed when he gave her the list.

"You have an odd image of me, that's for sure," he said, extending his hand to let her go in first.

"You're just a little giant with a big heart," Anna teased, winking and heading into the bus.

"Good one," he complimented. "I'm usually called fluffy but I'll take that."

Anna giggled. "I'm glad."

"And don't worry, I'll make a comeback later when I know you better," he countered, following her inside.

* * *

 

It was no surprise to neither Marshmallow nor Anna that the other three returned to the bus with hangovers. The two had spent the rest of their night playing video games and eventually knocked out while watching a movie that was playing on HBO. They had been woken up by the loud and irritated voice of Elsa herself, stomping onto the bus, clutching her temple with one hand and fumbling with her messy braid in the other. Olaf followed closely behind her, his usually spiky hair rumpled and deflating, Sitron entering last with bags under his eyes and a bruise on his arm. Oaken was loading up the van with their equipment so they had time before the bus started heading out to Salt Lake City.

"What happened to your arm?" Anna asked Sitron as he sat next to her on the couch.

"Let's just say never ever bet against a little person and win," he said, pouting and nursing his black and blue wound.

Anna furrowed her brows and gave him an incredulous look, blinking slowly with what appeared to be disbelief and disturbance. She then exchanged looks with Marshmallow, searching for a proper explanation but he merely shrugged, clearly unable to find one to justify the bassist's actions.

Olaf wobbled over to his bunk and slid inside it, facing away from them and pulling his blankets over him, shoes and all. Elsa let out an extraordinary groan as she collapsed on the couch across from them.

"You look like you knocked on Death's door," Anna quipped, grinning as Elsa flipped her off.

"Death can kiss my ass," Elsa said gruffly.

"He probably did considering," Marshmallow said. "What did you guys _do_?"

"I think… I think… shit," Elsa muttered slowly. "Fuck, I don't know! I was really drunk last night, I can't remember anything."

"Elsa, I'm telling you this as… well… as your acquaintance." Anna leaned forward to make her point heard. " _Stop. Drinking. So. Much._ You're going to destroy your liver or your kidneys or worse!"

"This was the most I've ever had in a very long time, kid," Elsa said, glaring at her. "So it's kind of a blur but I usually have enough so my wits are still about me but I may make a mistake or two. Like, for example, I can drive okay but I'll still be pulled over and charged with a DUI."

"You're a mess," Anna said bluntly.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll lay off the drinking until we get to Salt Lake City. Give my liver a break."

"That's not the point."

"You're such a fucking prude."

"If I live past the age of forty, I think I pass the test of life, Elsa."

"The test of life can only be won by those who live it."

"Exactly. You just made my point."

"And my live it, I mean experience. You can live for hundreds of years but it'll all mean nothing if you did nothing."

"Sometimes life ends fast when you make stupid decisions."

"It's not where you start life, it's where you end up."

"First of all, that's not even relevant to my previous statement. _Second_ : I have an incredible feeling that your last words are going to be sarcastic and early. _Third_ : you're dangerously close to the phrase YOLO—"

"Stop talking!" Olaf whined, clamping his gloved hands over his ears. "I can't sleep with all this noise!"

"Then pull your curtains closed," Sitron suggested.

"That won't do jack _shit_!" Olaf growled.

Oaken stepped onto the bus and shifted it into gear, the engine roaring to life and taking off into the Santa Fe and towards the highway. The band grew silent, the bus swaying ever so slightly as it moved along the road. Anna got up and went to the kitchen to try to make something for the hungry band around her, still steaming from her little back and forth with the stubborn lead singer.

The end result was six breakfast burritos. After she passed them all out on paper plates, she sat in the booth with her own and ate. Soon she was joined by Elsa, sitting beside her but remaining silent. Sitron finished his quickly and climbed into his own bunk for some extra shut eye. Marshmallow decided to change into some fresh clothes, gathering some from the drawer space between his bunk and Sitron's, and heading into the restroom.

"I know you're looking out for me," Elsa said softly.

"Hm?" Anna replied, mouth full of burrito.

"Drinking, I mean," she continued. "I guess I'm trying to live life to the fullest and this success has given me such a natural high… I'll come down from it, soon. When everything goes to shit and we fail as a band—"

"Elsa, stop," Anna scolded after a hard swallow. "You're _not_ going to fail. I have complete faith in you guys. And you deserve to enjoy yourself. I'm just not used to it, that's all." She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "And I said some very mean things. I'm sorry, Elsa."

"It's… I understand. You're okay."

"Good… but just know I'm going from a good place, okay?"

The punk side-glanced at her before busying herself with her breakfast, eyes cast on her plate instead, and remaining quiet.

After a few minutes, Elsa spoke up once again.

"Thanks for the breakfast. You're a really good cook," she complimented, offering Anna a smile.

"Oh! You're welcome," Anna flushed. "And, thank you… thanks."

The trip to Salt Lake City was going to take a few hours so everyone milled around the bus. Sitron and Olaf decided that their naps were going to take up most of the time, riding themselves of their hangovers in the fashion of not doing anything physical. Elsa holed herself up in her room and tried to write some new lyrics for a new song… that didn't exist yet. Marshmallow took to watching television and Anna was in her own room, talking to Rapunzel on FaceTime.

"I thought it would be more exciting than this," Anna continued, lying flat on her stomach, supporting her phone on her pillow and against the wall.

Rapunzel was— from what Anna could tell— in her room back in Arendelle, her chameleon Pascal resting on her shoulder. The brunette was peering into the portal of Anna's phone, trying to get a good look at the room surrounding her cousin.

"Well, you are only just getting started. Where are you?" she said, squinting her eyes and craning her neck, as if it would make a difference in the way she saw the background behind Anna.

"I'm in my bedroom on the bus," Anna said.

"You really _do_ have your own room! How fancy!"

"It's as big as a one person cabin on a cruise ship," Anna mumbled.

"Oh, quit your complaining," Rapunzel chided. "You're on a _tour bus_. With Dry fucking Ice. That's much more exciting than a cruise. And it's free. Think about _that_. So many people would kill to be where you are now. It'll be an amazing trip!"

"I dunno. Cruises can take me to Mexico and Hawaii and Alaska… not all at the same time but they could. I mean, they could go _any_ where. I really want to go on a Disney Cruise to the Caribbean sometime. Ooh, remember when we all went to Hawaii for a week on that one trip with Merida and her family?" Anna sighed dreamily. "We mini-golfed on deck, did that cliché 'I can fly, Jack' thing from the Titanic for shits and giggles, gambled a little bit, Merida won me that really big bear stuffed animal at an arcade, and then you got that terrible sunburn and were so mad because I wrote 'penis' on your back with sunscreen." She started laughing. "And when Merida's brothers snuck into the kitchens. Oh my gosh, that was so funny! They brought back so much food for us in the cabin but then Elinor threw a _fit_. And then Merida and I kissed on the beach when the sun was setting… It was magical. Now _that_ was an amazing trip."

"Only 'cause you got laid," Rapunzel reminded her, liking the slow return of Anna's rambling. It had been missed since Merida left and she hoped that the trip with Dry Ice would bring the old Anna round once again.

Anna rolled her eyes but couldn't hide the tint of pink brushing her cheeks. "I got laid for the fifth time by her, thank you very much."

"I still don't get it," Rapunzel said, shaking her head and allowing Pascal to nuzzle his face in her neck. "You date Hans for five months, he totally breaks your heart, and then you date Merida for a half a year almost immediately afterwards after you tried to hook up with different people. You've had two serious relationships outside high school… Merida only _just_ left to Scotland last November."

"Your point?"

"I just… I don't see why you're not looking for some hook ups on this trip!" Rapunzel exclaimed. "You're complaining about it not being as exciting as you had hoped! Why don't you spice it up!?"

"I have a job and studying to do, Punzie," Anna reasoned. "I can't just sleep with someone and get over it. Sex is very… connecting for me."

"But don't you see the beauty of road trips? One. Night. Stands." Her green eyes lit up with a wicked gleam. "Ooh, Anna, you can have so many lovers all across the country!"

"I don't want a line-up of lovers. I want a serious, romantic relationship."

"You're so hopeless." Rapunzel sighed. "Okay. Real talk."

"Was the previous conversation not real talk?"

"Shush! The band. What's going on with them?"

"They're sleeping off hangovers," Anna said dully. "Elsa's trying to write a song… and that's it. Well, Marshmallow isn't hungover. He's watching TV. Everyone is more or less riding out the journey to Salt Lake City with some way to keep them occupied. And I got you to keep me company."

"Awh, you're a sweetie," Rapunzel giggled.

In a split second, she paused and cocked her head to one side, the goofy little smile vanishing. She leaned back, blinked a couple of times, rubbed her eyes, and then leaned forward until her face was almost pressed against the screen.

"What are you doing?" Anna demanded, cocking an eyebrow in a very Elsa-esque fashion.

"Anna… did you do something new with your hair? I'm just realizing… it's down."

"Oh! Yeah!" Anna laughed and showed off the shock of white in her ginger mane. "I got… punked… to put it into terms. The boys took me out to get a look that matches theirs last week."

Rapunzel let out a little scream, startling her pet into the color of her shirt.

"OMG!" she squealed. "Anna, I love!"

"Thank you!" Anna grinned. "It's grown on me already."

"I think it looks awesome."

Someone started calling Rapunzel's name on the other end and she frowned, listening hard to what was only a garbled mess on Anna's side.

"Okay, Mom!" Rapunzel called back. "I'll be right down!" She turned to Anna, sending her an apologetic look. "I gotta go. Lunch plans. Call me later, sweetie! Keep me posted!"

"Will do," Anna promised, waving at Rapunzel until the call ended.

She stared at her phone until the screen went to black, falling on its front into the plush exterior of her pillow with a tiny jolt from the bus surrounding her. Anna picked it up and placed it on her beside table, flipping herself over until she was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling for a good ten minutes. Someone knocked on her door, pulling her out of her lazy stupor. She allowed entry and Elsa stepped inside, leaning against the doorframe casually, crossing her arms across her chest.

"How you doin', kiddo?" she asked.

"I'm tired. And you?" Anna replied.

"Same. I came in here to tell you we're getting off in a bit for some lunch. Figured you might be hungry."

Anna nodded, feeling her stomach growl for the first time. The mention of food brought out the animal waiting to be fed, clawing at her insides for something worth digesting.

"Please tell me it's not a fast food place," Anna said. "I love the stuff but I don't have a home gym in this place."

Elsa smirked. "No. We're going to get something good this time, promise. You like steak?"

"I… I guess."

"Cool. 'Cause we're going to a steak house."

"Oh…! Okay?"

* * *

 

Lunch was just about what she expected. Crammed in a booth with the four band members while Oaken guarded them, Elsa giving out the request of not wanting to be disturbed. They were given well sized portions and Anna was able to get a side salad instead of just fries, hoping that her petite body would be able to balance it out. Maybe she could persuade them to stop at a gym so she could work all the calories out of her body and get rid of the guilt of indulging on fast food.

It could only be a good thing for a certain amount of time.

After they finished and paid the bill, it was back on the bus and back on the road. Instead of staying in her room and studying, she decided to join in on a game of Guitar Hero, completely obliterating Olaf in a round, to which he responded by swearing and pouting like a child before throwing himself onto the couch and watching her take on Elsa.

Who she beat, too.

Much to the punk's pleasant surprise.

She tried to give Anna a reward by kissing her cheek but Anna refused, only to end up being chased around the little area, Elsa teasing her about being shy and pretending to be offended when Anna kept saying no. Eventually the game of cat and mouse ended and Anna lost to Sitron in the following round.

They were still on the road as nighttime fell. The five of them ate dinner on the bus with some frozen meals and popcorn, watching a thriller movie. Anna kept jumping at every little thing. Olaf was staring wide-eyed at the screen and shoveling popcorn into his mouth. Sitron was pretending to not be afraid but kept wincing and tried to play it off by throwing a coughing fit which ended up in everyone shushing him. Marshmallow was grimacing at every tiny piece of gore that was shown on screen, his face turning a delicate shade of green. Elsa was leaning back in her seat, next to Anna, and was actually very stoic regardless of what was being shown.

But she was incredibly sweet, Anna noted, because every time the redhead jumped or let out a small scream, Elsa's thumb on her right hand— which was thrown over Anna's shoulder casually— would brush over her shirt sleeve soothingly, easing the roadie's fear. It was that little something that made Anna feel like Elsa was more than just a rude and self-centered punk.

That feeling was shot down however, when Anna jumped so hard, the popcorn bowl went flying out of her lap and onto Olaf's head— he was sitting on the floor in front of her— and Elsa started laughing so hard, tears were brought to her eyes. After apologizing to Olaf profusely, she shoved Elsa's arm off her shoulders and crossed her own, pursing her lips, containing her tiny jumps from escaping. Out of the corner of her eye, she occasionally watched Elsa and secretly wanted the comforting touches of her hand.

But that ship had left the dock long ago for the punk was very put-off by the roadie's sour mood.

When the movie finished, they all went to bed, hoping to reach Salt Lake City before sundown the next day. Oaken had pulled into a rest stop so he himself could get some sleep in his big chair, leaning it back as far as it could go and snapping a fuzzy eye mask over his head.

Anna woke up to the movement of the bus and noise coming from the main room. Upon entering, she only found Elsa— still in her pajamas— and sitting at the booth drinking a cup of instant hot chocolate Anna had picked up in the market back in Santa Fe.

"G'morning, sunshine," Elsa whispered, pointing a finger at the still sleeping band members tucked away in their bunks. She pressed said finger to her lips before gesturing to Anna to join her. "Care for some hot chocolate?"

"I'm okay at the moment," Anna said quietly, sitting across from Elsa. "Why are you up so early?"

"I had trouble going back to sleep," Elsa admitted, staring into the depths of her beverage. "So I decided to just… wake up."

Her hands, Anna realized, were gloved even though it was still early in the morning. Did Elsa _sleep_ in the things?

"You look exhausted," the ginger pointed out, her forehead creasing with concern.

"I was up all night, to be completely honest," Elsa replied, using the ends of her fingers to rub her eyes instead of her entire, leather-clad fist. "Trying to write a song. 'Let It Go' came to me so easily…"

"What inspired you to write it? Maybe you should go back to those roots."

Elsa blinked at her slowly before smirking gently. "Kid, you're seriously going to have to take our potential friendship one step at a time. If I told you what inspired me, you'd know the meaning. I intend on keeping it between me and the band."

Anna pouted. "That's unfair. Aren't I a part of the band?"

"Not really," Elsa stated bluntly, sipping her drink. "You're a roadie. The help. Nothing but a common, paid worker."

Although she didn't show it— and was very astonished to hear it said in such a tone— Anna was hurt by Elsa's words. She had made herself believe that, in some tiny, minuscule way, she was part of Dry Ice. Wasn't it the crew that made the band great? Made things go smooth? Did Elsa really think of her as nothing but a common employee under her care until the they dropped her off in Arendelle? And did it also mean she would never see hide nor hair of them afterwards once everything was said and done until they decided to grace her hometown with their presence again?

She forced herself to remain placid, tapping the tabletop with her fingers. Elsa licked her lips of the residue from her hot chocolate. She sighed and leaned back in her seat, giving Anna a pitying glance.

"Perhaps that was a little to harsh," she said. "Don't take it the wrong way, Anna."

The sound of her name made the redhead feel more at ease. Usually when Elsa said her name, she was more sincere about things in conversation. The pet name "kid" was tossed around so often Anna often forgot that Elsa knew what her name really was.

"I didn't," Anna lied. "I understand what you mean."

"Good," Elsa said, nodding once. "I'm glad."

Anna sent her a weak smile before shrinking into the plush exterior of the booth, letting her mind wander and her eyes drift to the rolling road around them. Elsa had kicked her bare feet up on the upholstery on Anna's left side, enjoying her drink to the fullest.

There was a short creak from one of the bunks and a soft snore out of Marshmallow's mouth. Sitron's bunk had the curtains pulled all around him, Olaf's were haphazardly tugged but hardly covered the guitarist's sleeping space, and Marshmallow's curtains weren't drawn, tucked in their little cloth, velcro holding at each end of his area. Anna wondered what Elsa's bedroom looked like. She only caught a glimpse of it when she was given the tour of the bus but didn't get a chance to see fully inside of it.

Her eyes shifted back onto the punk, feeling slightly… culture-shocked for the first time in the two weeks she had spent in her presence. She was traveling with Elsa and Dry Ice. Big names. And everyone knew who they were. Seen from billboards to tiny articles in newspapers. Out of everyone in her entire fandom, Anna was the one Elsa chose to have trek around the country with them. She had asked Elsa why but her answer was somewhat vague and left Anna confused evermore.

In spite of how snide and obnoxious Elsa had been so far, Anna appreciated the chance she was given and had high hopes for the rest of the journey.

"Elsa… did I ever really thank you properly for this opportunity?" Anna inquired shyly. "Because I feel like I didn't. So… thank you. Thank you very much."

Icy eyes flickered onto her from gazing out the window. They clashed with teal and, for the first time, Anna felt a real emotional tug towards the mysterious rockstar. A tug that warmed her heart like never before. The way Elsa's eyes searched and combed inside her own felt as if she was trying to read into the deeper meaning of Anna's thanks. As if she were trying to deduce the girl before her down to the sub molecular level. A kind of studious gaze Anna had never seen Elsa wear and only made her want to keep the eye contact longer between them.

Then…

Elsa smiled. It wasn't that half smile she'd give or her pretentious little smirk or her cat-like grin. It was a genuine smile, pulling at her freckle dusted cheeks and up to her eyes, scrunching her button nose slightly, and reaching the blue orbs, making them sparkle. A type of smile Anna had received from and given to Merida, to Rapunzel, and once to Hans. Elsa made it different from the ones Anna had seen, however. It was for more special, more intimate. It was affectionate but to the point of distant admiration.

Like it was reserved for certain eyes only.

"You're very welcome," Elsa said softly, inclining her head into a tiny, graceful bow that held a queen-like presence, Anna feeling like a peasant before the ruler. Feeling honored to receive a real smile from the punk.

The moment was never broken when Elsa tore her eyes away from Anna to stare out the window again. Her smile didn't even fade from her pale face. Anna was pleased, leaning her arms on the tabletop and looking out the window, too. That was progress and both of them knew it. Progress that Anna was getting to Elsa somehow but neither of them needed to make a scene out of it.

And there they sat, swaying gently with the chugging of the bus in a booth, both of which belonged to the coolest band crossing the United States. The boys snoozing in their beds, Oaken listening to the radio on the other side of the closed, sliding door, and the two girls enjoying each other's company. Not as rockstar and roadie but as merely friends with a long path ahead of them. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos and comments! I would greatly appreciate it!


	7. Dirty Little Secret

It took another hour or so from the time Anna woke up to finally reach Salt Lake City. By then, the boys had gotten up and got ready for a day full of practice before the following evening when they were scheduled to perform.

"We're here a day early," Elsa said with a nod as they all stepped out of the bus. "Not bad."

"This is really great!" Olaf said enthusiastically. "I love Salt Lake! Ooh, Els, can we go souvenir shopping during lunch?"

"I have no interest in doing that," Elsa said blandly but gave him a smirk. "Take the kid with you."

"Wait, what?" Anna said, Olaf linking arms with her.

"You and I are gonna have some more friendship bonding time, that's what!" he announced joyfully. "It'll be a blast!"

"A blast _then_. We have to get practicing," Sitron reminded him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragging him to the theatre, Olaf pouting all the way there.

Marshmallow followed close behind, sticking his big hands in his jeans pockets. Elsa and Anna walked together after them, Oaken unloading all the heavy equipment from the bus.

"You've been doing great, kid," Elsa said, clapping Anna on the shoulder with her gloved hand. "Our shows have never run smoother."

"Good to know I'm helping out," Anna said cheerfully. "It's easy work, like, I'm actually able to hang out and get paid. Wait, no. I mean that in a good way. Not that I'm slacking. I'm a really hard worker when I put my mind to it. Not that I haven't been putting my mind to it, of course, 'cause I have. I dunno if you've noticed but I have. And I'm totally grateful for the opportunity. After all you coulda had some creepy fan. Well, not that your fans are creepy but there are _some_ that are a little… interesting. But most of your fan base is awesome!" Anna was waving her hands as she spoke, getting redder in the face as she tumbled over her rambling. "Not that I would know 'cause I'm not cut out to be a punk. Don't let my clothes fool you— but of course you already know that." She laughed nervously as Elsa stared at her, incredibly pleased to see a side of Anna she had yet to see. "I mean, you're the absolute definition of punk. But not one of those stereotypical—"

"Anna!" Elsa shouted, cutting the blubbering redhead off. "Calm _down_ , kid. You're talking a mile a minute."

"Sorry… I'm a rambler and it's been a while since I've had a full on ramble," Anna mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous tick she had longed to get over. "Ever since Merida left, I've hardly had things to say." She side glanced at Elsa, sending her an apologetic smile. "So I'm sorry ahead of time if I annoy you."

"You're always on the line," Elsa teased, grabbing Anna around the neck and giving her a noogie, earning shouts of protest from the younger girl. "You're an obnoxious but very sweet dork."

"Get off of me, you punk!" Anna hollered, landing a soft blow in Elsa's side, forcing the celebrity off and stumbling backwards, howling with laughter.

"Ooh, the kid's gotta good swing!" Elsa praised, continuing their route to the stage door. "No wonder Hans' tooth got the fuck out of his lying mouth. I'm pretty sure one of my ribs tried to make a break for it." She flexed her arms at Anna, flashing a stupid grin. "You're some kinda super hero aren't ya? That strength gotta come from somewhere."

"Knock it off," Anna pouted, the two of them entering the stage door and ascending the stairs to the backstage area.

"I'm just playing around. Take a chill pill and—" A wicked gleam in Elsa's eye alerted Anna to the pun before she even sang it out. "—let it go!" The punk cackled at her ridiculous joke and bounded over to her bandmates, Anna cursing herself for not seeing the phrase coming from a mile away.

Instead she plodded off to do her job around the stage, assisting the techies with setting up and other stagehands with moving equipment back and forth.

It was barely her second week into the job but she was getting a hang of things with ease. It wasn't an incredibly hard job anyway. All she really had to do was make sure Elsa and the band was taken care of.

But when the caterer said that they were unable to get Arrowhead water, Anna almost felt the world quake with the tantrum Elsa was sure to cause.

So Anna decided that it was her job to do the yelling.

She reached up and grabbed the burly caterer by the collar of his shirt and yanked him down with the brute strength that Elsa had complimented earlier that morning. She got nose-to-nose with the guy and bared her teeth.

"Do you want Elsa to find out there isn't any Arrowhead water?" she growled dangerously. "Because if there isn't any Arrowhead water, there may not be a _concert_. Do you understand me?" The man gulped but Anna kept talking. "You better go out and get some fucking Arrowhead _right now_. I don't care how inconvenient it is or how far you have to travel, you better get it here before lunch time or else there'll be a big problem?" She grabbed a bottle that was waiting innocently on the table to her left. She waved the Fiji water in his face. "This bullshit will not be tolerated! Got it?"

He nodded rapidly and straightened, hightailing it out of the stage in order to accommodate the water wishes that were passed from punk to roadie. With a smirk that would have made Elsa proud, Anna gathered the offending water into her arms and trekked over to Oaken so he may dispose of them properly to another changing room where Elsa couldn't see them.

While she watched the big security guard lumber out of sight, she heard laughter come from somewhere behind her. Olaf was giggling at her, incredibly pleased to see the little roadie take charge to those around her. He clapped jovially and she curtsied sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Excellent job!" he praised. "I think you're the first roadie to do something about a catering malfunction." He winked at her and stuck out his gloved hand. "You ready?"

"For what?" she inquired, taking his hand with her own and allowing him to hold it kindly.

"Shopping, silly!" he chimed and started to lead her out of the amphitheater. "Then we'll get lunch. We need some more bonding time, don'tcha think?"

"You're one of the good ones. You and your brother," Anna said, frowning softly. "You're really spot on. Elsa's so hard to read. One moment she's giving me this sweet smile and then she's giving me noogies. How does that even work? What is she _on_?"

Olaf giggled again. "She's just doing what she always does. She's actually incredibly socially awkward."

"No… no, I don't think so," Anna said, shaking her head. "Well, I told you. Hard to read for a lot of people," he said, giving her a sad smile. "But she'll make sense the more you hang out with her. And hey, Sitron isn't so bad, either!"

"I don't really know him that well, either," she sighed. "I got to get more bonding time with the other two. Marshmallow has already become my good friend."

"I'm glad!" he gushed. "The big guy is always proving himself to be a fantastic pal!"

"I can't believe you're the older one," she teased, the two of them finally hitting the streets of Salt Lake City.

"That's me! He just got our dad's genes. I got all my mom's!" He shrugged joyfully. "But I don't mind. It's always funny to see people's faces when we tell who is the older brother." His smile grew so Anna could make out the slight buck teeth. "When we first met Elsa, her jaw dropped to the floor and she asked us if we were joking."

"When did you meet Elsa?" she wondered.

"High school," he replied genially.

They entered a small souvenir shop and started browsing around the T-shirts and hats and other items that had _Salt Lake City_ stamped on them. It wasn't very crowded and made it easy for them to navigate around other costumers without losing each other and going on a wild goose chase.

"Did she always wear those gloves?" she asked as they came to a stop in front of a rack of shirts with assorted logos and pictures.

"Oh, goodness no," he said, raising his brows. "The Elsa I knew was completely different from the one you know now."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

Anna suppressed a snort. "I don't believe you."

"Maybe if we stop by our hometown, I'll show you some pics," he said. "I'm sure I still have some in my photo album at home." He scratched the back of his head with his gloved hand. "Although, I dunno if Elsa would be comfortable with that."

"I'll just keep it in the back of my head," Anna offered, picking out a plain black shirt with a snowman dressed in a tuxedo on the front. "Whaddya think? This is very you."

He laughed at it and took it from her. "Very nice taste in clothing, Anna. Maybe I'll buy it!" He took the sleeves between his index finger and middle finger and mimicked making an incision. "I could turn it into a tank!"

"Why?" "'Cause I like 'em. I _love_ the heat and can't stand long sleeved shirts… unless it's winter."

They made their way around the store a little while longer and Anna picked out an olive green crop top with a faded heart in the center or it that had called her name from across the room. With shopping bags in their leather bound grips, they continued their route around the city, talking and laughing as if they were old friends.

It didn't quite feel she had known Olaf forever but he was so relatable and sunny that it was hard not to feel a closeness to the childish goof. He was easy to talk to, that was for sure.

They entered a few more shops and bought some trinkets and shirts together. Like many of the band members of Dry Ice, Olaf was recognized and stopped by fans and was asked for his autograph. He would kindly oblige and take pictures, selfies, and even give hugs to his fans. As they entered a mall to hunt for some food in the food court, Anna was battling with a question she desperately wanted to ask since they had left the first store.

When she asked about the gloves, Olaf was astonished at the thought that Elsa would have worn the things outside of her punk persona. As if they were a complete no-no in high school. Not only did it pique Anna's interest on who Elsa really was, but it made the gloves seem more of a mystery.

As they waited in line for a Panda Express, Anna stared down at the leather that protected her freckled hands from the elements and was most likely giving her the worst tan in the history of tans since her father's sock tan. Everyone in the band wore gloves, Oaken wore gloves… now Anna had jumped the bandwagon with the rest of the fandom and donned the things in honor of the rock star that made girls and boys alike fall to their knees.

But why?

After they paid for their food and picked out a table, Olaf was the first to dive into his egg rolls and chow-mein as if it were his last meal. Anna meekly picked at her rice, teal eyes clouded over. With a slurp of his soda, the guitarist eyed the roadie up and down, sensing the pensive mood radiating from her.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said cheekily.

"It's nothing really," Anna mumbled, leaning her cheek into her hand and stuffing her mouth with orange chicken.

"C'mon! It's clearly something," he pointed out needlessly. "Seriously, I'll give you a penny!" He dug into his pocket and fished out some of the change he had received a few stores ago, slamming a tiny copper coin on the tabletop before Anna.

She stared at the penny before letting her eyes wander up to his face, finding that cartoon grin waiting for her. Anna couldn't help but to smile back, taking the penny.

"Alright, Olaf… now feel free to not answer the question," she said slowly, earning an understanding nod. She took in a deep breath before plunging in. "What's the real deal with the gloves?"

The expression of curiosity on Olaf's face melted into one of grimness and uncertainty. It was then did Anna realize how deep she was treading into the personal waters and was pretty sure she had crossed the line.

 _Of course it's personal,_ she scolded herself. _You've hardly had time with these guys and you're expecting it to be answers galore._

"Anna, to be perfectly honest with you, that's not a question for me to answer," he told her, genuinely appearing apologetic. "That's Elsa's department."

"Oh…" Anna said quietly, losing her appetite.

If she asked Elsa, would she receive a cold glare and a silent treatment? Would it be something that would be banned from conversation ever again? And would Anna be stripped of her own gloves, as if she were losing some kind of ranking amongst the band?

"It's not my place to reveal such information," Olaf said quickly, horrified at the shameful look on his friend's face and was quickly trying to assure her that it was a common question. "Elsa's been asked that before, believe me, but it's really up to her to talk about it."

"I understand," she said, offering him a thankful smile. "Thanks anyway, Olaf."

"Not a problem!" he sang. "She won't hate you, I know that for a fact." He winked at her. "Just don't try to drag it outta her, yeah?"

Anna giggled. "I promise I won't."

* * *

 

The after party the following evening was one Anna decided to attend. To show her that being at parties weren't all bad, Olaf was glued to her by the hip so she could join he and his usual gang of whooping hyenas. Olaf was genuinely funny, the redhead was pleased to discover for herself. She was doubled over half way through the evening for the umpteenth time after one of his stories, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks and her sides hurting. The others all around her were cracking up just as much, the guitarist smiling humbly at his audience.

Sometime that night, Anna had finally broken off from the group to get a drink and find one of the other band members. Marshmallow was also attending the party, holding up a conversation with a few fan girls. She let him be so he could blossom and get more social without the help of the roadie. Elsa was somewhere in the corner with one of the party-goers and was really getting down to business with the girl.

With a roll of her eyes, Anna headed out to the balcony instead, taking a large swig of her beer. To her surprise, she found Sitron completely sober and enjoying a cigarette, gazing out to the Salt Lake City skyline.

"Hey, horse head," Anna teased, leaning on the railing beside him.

"Hey, ginger ale," he replied, sending her his crooked, toothy grin. "How ya doin'? Being a good girl?"

"Oh, of course not," she said sarcastically. "I'm drinking underage. I'm such a badass. I'm pretty sure the cops are on their way."

He chortled under his breath. "Sorry. I had to call 'em."

"Party pooper." She took another long drink before coming up, smacking her lips to test the aftertaste of the brew. "I'm shocked to see you're not causing a scene inside."

"Eh, that gets old after a while," he said with a shrug. "But I'm probably gonna start up again the next time."

"Whatcha doing out here anyway?" "Getting some air."

"And yet you're smoking?"

"It's a habit." He took a drag before blowing the smoke out in a neat line until it billowed out into the wind. "But I can't quit."

"You're aware it's unhealthy, right?"

"Oh, of course," he said. "I'd be an idiot if I didn't. But I love these little fuckers too much to quit."

Anna smiled wryly. "I get it. So you're just hanging out?"

"Yup. What about you?" "I was looking around for one of you guys. Olaf is hilarious but I decided to give my lungs a break from laughing so much… although my lungs aren't exactly happy with the secondhand smoke." She winked at him as he rolled his eyes. "Marshmallow is being chatty and Elsa's… she's making out with some girl."

"She does that a lot."

"Why? She never sleeps with them! She's a giant tease."

He let out a laugh that sounded like a horse's whinny. He tapped some ash off the tip of his cigarette before putting it between his teeth. He didn't respond to the roadie's exasperated statement, simply grinning at her confusion on why Elsa was one to fool around but never make the ironic commitment of a one night stand.

Instead, he continued to stare out into the city, his lopsided smile reminding her very much of Augustus Waters but with a lit cigarette and without the tragic ending. Anna fiddled with her beer bottle and watched the sky line, too, letting the image whisk her away into a stupor of deep thought.

After a couple of long minutes of silence between the two, a few partiers coming and going for a quick smoke and conversation without the noise, and the smell of the familiar coffin nails, Anna decided to ask Sitron his opinion on the question she had asked Olaf the day before.

"Hey, Sitron…"

"Hm?"

"Do you think it's a good idea to bring up these—" She lifted her hand, palm facing the bassist. "—to Elsa?"

"Hands?" he said stupidly, furrowing his brow.

"No! The gloves," she explained.

"Ohhh. Shit, I dunno," he shrugged, finishing off his cigarette, putting it out on the railing and flicking it off the balcony. "It's not like others have been curious before."

"Do you know why?"

"'Course I do. Oaken knows, Olaf, Marshmallow, and I'm pretty sure Kai does too," he said. "It's Elsa business though. We just go along with it 'cause we're a family."

"Elsa said I'm not part of the band," Anna said softly.

"Don't know what to tell you, Anna," he frowned. "Look, don't take what she's says personally. Elsa's a very sheltered, walls up kind of gal. If you get under her skin enough, then you might find yourself learning all about her." He patted her shoulder as he turned, making his way back inside. "Go and get some rest, kid. You've earned it."

He opened the sliding door and slipped back into the party, vanishing in the sea of bodies. Anna finished her drink and rested the bottle on the floor, stretching and cracking her back. Maybe Sitron was right. Maybe she should hold off on asking Elsa anything too personal and wait until Elsa was spilling her secrets to her in confidence. The gloves were clearly a delicate, yet popular, topic.

But the last thing Anna wanted was to be punched in the gut by a set of gloves being worn by the celebrity. She took in one more breath, the scent of Sitron's smoke still hanging in the air, and headed back into the party. She pushed her way through the crowd so she could retrieve the room key from Marshmallow, who kindly handed it to her with a wink. She bid him goodnight and strolled out of the loud, booming room and into the quiet hallway.

The elevator ride a few floors below was also quiet, allowing her thoughts to roam from one to the other peacefully. Her room was a few doors down from the elevator and the hallway was warm, making her lids droop. She peeled off her gloves and let her hands get some air, stuffing the leather into her jeans pocket and strolling along the carpeted floor, her knock-off Converse making muffled noises.

With her room found, she stuck the card in its slot and it allowed her entry to the fresh and plain hotel room.

But she wasn't alone.

Elsa was sitting on one of the chairs, massaging her temple and groaning. Anna blinked and checked that she was in the right room, staring intently down at the paper with Marshmallow's scribbling of the room number.

"Uh… am I supposed to be in here?" she asked, looking up at Elsa, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded, not meeting her eyes, her lids shut over her icy orbs, her head between her legs. "It… It was cheaper. And I didn't think you'd want to spend a night with the three idiots."

"Thank you?" It came out as a question. Anna was unsure how she should feel about sharing a room with Elsa.

A bus was one thing. They had to endure tight quarters but they all had their own personal space. But it wasn't like there was only one bed. Two queens rested side by side, the only thing between them being a nightstand. Then again, Anna had shared beds and hotel rooms with some of her friends before so it wasn't such a big deal.

"You alright?" Anna said, approaching Elsa, deciding to shove the discomfort from her mind.

"Yeah," Els repeated. "Just… fuck." She leaned back in her seat, her pale complexion tinted green. "I dunno what I drank but…"

"You need anything?" Anna asked, concern lacing her words. "I can run out and get some ginger ale. Maybe aspirin? You don't look so good. Like you're about to throw up."

"I'll be fine," the punk protested, swatting away the hand Anna had been extending to check Elsa's temperature. "I most likely drank too much."

Anna grimaced down at her but didn't press any further. The rockstar was clearly in no mood to be touched, even if it was going to be a gentle and caring one. It was an odd turn around from an hour ago when Elsa was forcing her tongue down some girl's throat (not that the girl wasn't enjoying it, of course). Turning on her heel, Anna strode over to her bed, shedding her jacket off her body. She wasn't going to take Elsa's crap now. She was tired and wanted to get to sleep.

Elsa had risen to her feet and staggered to the restroom, grumbling swears Anna didn't understand under her breath. Once the door shut, Anna kicked her shoes and socks off before removing her jeans, tossing them into a corner. She reached under and behind her shirt to remove her bra from beneath the fabric, throwing that with the rest of her clothes. With that, she slid underneath the crisp sheets with the same comfort her first night on the bus supplied her.

The room was dark when Elsa finally came out of the bathroom. Anna watched her silhouette move across the room to the bed next to hers. Slowly, Elsa crawled beneath her blankets, the gloves still glued to her hands. Anna turned over so she was facing the wall instead, giving Elsa the privacy to remove them if she wished.

There was only silence between them, their friendship on the awkwardest level Anna had ever experienced in her life.

With nothing else left to do or say, Anna let her eyelids slide shut and sleep overtake her. She could have sworn she heard Elsa wish her a goodnight before dreams infiltrated her mind and sent her along into unconsciousness.

* * *

 

The rest of the shows were flawless, as usual. Parties were left unattended by Anna, however, the redhead eager to get back on the bus and head into Boise, Idaho, which was their next designation according to Olaf. Instead, after the shows, Anna retreated to the hotel room and read, bringing along some pajamas for the rest of their stay. She and Elsa still shared the room, which was very irritating because whenever Anna seemed to drift into a dreamless slumber, the punk would burst into the room loudly, startling the poor roadie awake.

So the time on the bus couldn't come fast enough. When it did, Anna was eternally grateful, making a promise to herself to never, ever, ever share a room with Elsa ever again. She'd share with Olaf or Sitron or Marshmallow for all she cared but Elsa was simply too inconsiderate. When she complained to the jovial guitarist as they drove to Idaho— her foot in his bare hands as he gave her a foot rub that he insisted upon giving— and Elsa being absent from the room, locking herself in her own to attempt to write a song, all he did was laugh.

"What did you expect?" he giggled.

"Frankly, I have no idea," Anna grumbled, leaning her back against the armrest of the couch, a magazine in her grip. She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, letting them linger there. "I swear, it's like she has multiple personality disorder! I can't keep up."

"Nobody can," Sitron joked from the booth right behind Anna's head. She felt a leather clad hand rub her bangs and she grunted, batting it away in annoyance.

"Anyone who can keep up with Elsa is a saint," Olaf agreed. "And we are none."

Marshmallow chuckled from the couch across from them. "Not at all. Sometimes Elsa changes attitudes so fast, I get whiplash."

"You should write a song about that," Anna grunted, flipping the page in her magazine only to see Elsa's smirking face staring up at her from a recent interview back in Santa Fe. "Call it _Snow Queen Whiplash_."

All three boys laughed, making Anna very proud. It was clear to her that they were better at getting along with her than Elsa was. It gave her comfort to know there were some people that appreciated having her around.

Olaf was being a kind, big brother-esque buddy and took all the stress out of her with a simple foot rub. It was bliss, Anna mused, as he worked his thumbs into the bottom of her aching foot. The other two boys were simply hanging out, exhausted from their concerts and trying to regain some energy for their next set. Sitron was doing some sort of puzzle in the paper he had picked up before they left the hotel and Marshmallow was drinking a soda, reading a book on something Anna couldn't see. All she knew was it was a humorous book, for the big guy would chuckle under his breath every so often.

Elsa eventually showed her face, sitting across from Sitron with a bottle of water clutched in her gloved hand. She looked absolutely stressed out, her brow furrowed and eyes clouded.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Majesty," Sitron quipped.

"Put a sock in it," Elsa spat.

All Sitron did was snicker, continuing his puzzle.

"Elsa, I don't think all that work is help you out," Olaf piped up, concerned for his best friend. "Give it a rest! You'll think of a song. All in good time."

"Kai isn't asking you almost every other day about it," Elsa deadpanned, sending him a reproachful look.

"Tell him to fuck off," Sitron stated blandly.

"I wish," Elsa sighed, letting her head fall onto the table top with a dull clunk.

"Want a foot rub?" Olaf offered. "After I'm done with Anna, I can switch to you. Really takes the stress away, right?" He looked at Anna for support.

"Oh, yeah!" Anna agreed enthusiastically. "It takes a load off."

"Thanks but no thanks," came Elsa's muffled reply. "I'll be fine without a rub."

"Suit yourself," Olaf shrugged, continuing his work on Anna.

"How long until we get to Boise?" Elsa asked, her head still planted on the table.

"A couple more hours," Marshmallow responded, scratching the shaved side of his head.

Elsa groaned bringing her fists up to the table and slamming them down on the surface, earning an unappreciative grunt from Sitron, the bassist rubbing away the mark his stray pencil made from the bit of turbulence Elsa's hand and caused. Olaf and Anna exchanged equal glances of worry for the lead singer, hoping that she wasn't working herself into the ground.

The door separating them from Oaken slid open and their bus driver spoke up.

"Hoo-hoo! We are almost to Boise but I have to stop for gas," he told them cheerfully. "Good time to make a run to the liquor store, yah?"

"I could go for a slushie," Anna said.

"Ooh, you just read my mind," Elsa hummed, lifting her head with a dreamy smile. "That sounds heavenly."

"I wanna take a quick smoke, too," Sitron added.

"We're approaching a rest stop so get ready," Oaken instructed before closing the sliding door to continue the route.

"Awesome!" Anna cheered, clapping her hands.

"Slushies for everyone!" Olaf let her foot slip out from his hands and he grinned. "Anna, you're an idea guy! I like that!"

"Thanks!" Anna giggled, swinging her feet off the couch. "And thanks for the rub. That really worked wonders."

"Glad I could help. Anytime you're feeling stressed, I'll take it off for ya!" He winked at her with his buck-toothed grin.

"Great to know," Anna said honestly, ducking down to collect her socks and sneakers.

"Really good idea, though," Elsa complimented, sliding out of the booth and sitting beside Anna instead, watching the roadie put on her shoes. "A slushie will really help me out. I love 'em."

"'Cause they're cold?" Anna grinned up at her.

"Just like my heart," Elsa countered, laughing behind her gloved fist.

"Ooh, a stab at yourself! Very lovely," Anna said, deciding to roll with the punches of Elsa's personality changes.

"I can't let everyone have a poke at me," Elsa winked.

Once Oaken pulled into a gas station, the band clambered out and made a beeline for the 7-11 that was awaiting them. Excitedly, they grabbed cups of all sizes and started pouring concoctions and mixtures of several different flavors into them, thankful for the cold blessing chock-full of artificial coloring from the unforgiving heat outside. With their drinks paid for, they returned to the bus to slurp on their sinfully sweet beverages inside.

"Mm, thank god for this invention," Sitron groaned.

"Didn't you wanna smoke?" Olaf wondered.

"Slushie over cigarette any day," Sitron said defiantly. "If you choose the latter over the former, then we can't be friends."

Elsa grinned. "Good to know you have your priorities straightened out."

Sitron sent her a thumbs up and toyed with his straw, humming pleasantly at the taste of Seven Up and cherry mixed together.

With the bus full of gas, they took off onto the highway once more. The group ended up playing a few rounds of Guitar Hero before it got tiring and Anna retreated to her bedroom to study, Elsa to her room to write, and the boys sinking into the couch to watch some television.

* * *

 

Not an hour later, the band arrived in Boise two days ahead of schedule, much to Elsa's pleasure. The sooner they get to the locations, she had said, the more time they can spend enjoying the scenery. Although Boise wasn't a huge tourist attraction, it was desirable for all five of the travelers— save for Oaken— to get on their feet and stretch their legs.

Instead of tagging along with the boys to go see some of the sights, Elsa and Anna headed into the amphitheater in which their concert would take place. They were walking along the auditorium of the theatre, Elsa trailing a finger along the plush seats as they strolled in a big space between VIP seating and general seating. The two paused in the middle of the room, watching as techies flew back and forth along the stage to get everything in place.

"It's weird to see it from this point of view," Elsa mused. "I just witness seas of faces all around here." She spread her arms out to her sides and made a circle, stopping when she was facing the roadie. "And every night I think to myself how lucky I am… not many people get to where I am now."

"That's true," Anna agreed.

Elsa dropped her arms and sent Anna her smirk. "What's with you? You seem a little off, if I may say so."

"I have… a lot on my mind," Anna said, shrugging and gazing out onto the empty pit, getting cleaned for the fans in two days time.

"Such as?" Elsa pressed, quirking her brow.

"…Nothing."

"It's clearly not nothing." The blonde rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Spill, kid. It can't be that bad."

"It's dumb," Anna mumbled.

The corners of Elsa's mouth twitched but she didn't voice whatever was on her train of thought. Anna glanced at her from out of the corner of her eye, fiddling with the question that was gnawing at her curiosity more and more with each passing moment. The punk seemed genuinely interested with whatever had Anna so pensive, leaning forward with anticipation.

"Okay… what I'm about to ask you… is personal, according to Olaf and Sitron," Anna said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And when I ask it, please don't punch me or hate me. I'm sincerely curious."

"Shoot," Elsa said plainly, leaning back and nodding, giving her permission to ask.

"What's… what's with the gloves anyway?" Anna asked, immediately throwing her hands up in the air in front of her face, wincing and bracing herself for a storm of Elsa's shouts. Instead, the punk snorted.

"Oh _that_?" Elsa said, grinning. "You wouldn't be the first to ask." She lifted one of her hands and held it up face length, giving it a wry smile. "But I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Anna demanded.

"'Cause it would ruin the whole show, kid." She flexed her fingers, her cat-like grin still plastered on her pale face. "Shatter the illusion of the band. Maybe I'll tell you one day but for now, it's my business and my business only. Understand?"

"I understand," Anna sighed. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Hey, it's no biggie," Elsa assured, resting one of her hands on Anna's shoulder. "Look, I'll show you I'm still cool with you and buy you a pretzel. You hungry?"

Anna offered her a thankful smile and they left the theatre together. And although she understood Elsa's words, her curiosity grew evermore. Something was being hidden beneath the leather and upon the pale hands of the rockstar and Anna wanted to know what it was if it was the last thing she did.


	8. Platinum Blonde Life

Other than the concerts, Anna found the trip to Boise rather uneventful. She did her usual duties behind the curtain, lugging equipment back and forth with techies, trying to reason with caterers without threatening them, and watching the show from the side stage.

She also discovered how similar the concerts seemed to be. The one sided conversations Elsa would hold with the crowd— save for their cheering replies— were always different, regarding whatever was on the punk's mind that evening. The line-up was the similarity of it all. Their covers grew repetitive in Anna's opinion. "Raise Your Glass" showed up each night they were in Boise. It was a crowd pleaser, no doubt about that, but it was almost as if the band was salvaging the energy before the end of the show. And every single one ended with "Let It Go."

Anna was starting to see why Kai was stressing Elsa so much about writing an original song. The performances were getting bone dry and Anna was starting to contemplate on leaving during the shows to get something to eat or hang out in their dressing room for some extra study time.

The final night of their Boise stop, Anna did just that. She made herself comfortable in the room with books and notepads spread out on the coffee table before her. Her iPod was in her ears so she didn't have to hear the repetitive music coming from the stage, turned up loud to the tune of musical soundtracks— a nice change of pace from the alternative and rock music— but as hard as she tried to block it out, the muffled noise from outside the door would leak through during the seconds-long song breaks.

Once she had wrapped up one of the chapters in her Sociology book, she removed her earbuds to heard the final chord of "Let It Go" being belted out by Elsa. With an appreciative smile, Anna decided to pocket her iPod and wait for the adrenaline fueled, sweaty, and grinning band to barge into the room.

She cleared up her stuff and set it alongside her bag she had brought with her to accompany her back to the bus, where she had intended on sleeping that evening before they had to truck off to Salem, Oregon.

After an earth shattering round of applause, the band came tumbling into the room, talking loudly and removing their ear plugs before tossing them onto the table. Elsa threw herself down on the couch next to Anna and tousled the redhead's bangs, only to have her leather clad hand pushed away. It didn't deter Elsa in the slightest, the punk merely laughing, bringing the rejected hand up to her lips to snort into it.

"You missed a great show," Elsa said a little louder than normal, her hearing shot a bit.

"It's… nothing I haven't seen before," Anna replied, shrugging.

"What? It's such a great performance!" Elsa protested, her brow hiking up into her hairline.

The fact she was patting herself on the back annoyed Anna but she didn't bother to point it out. All she did was shrug again and lean back in the cushion. She had to wait until they received the okay from Oaken so they could head out— the band to the after party and Anna to the bus.

"What's your deal?" Elsa demanded. "It's a free show, kid. Enjoy it while they last."

"A repetitive show," Anna mumbled.

The three boys who had been chatting idly by the mirror froze and whipped their heads towards the two girls sitting on the couch. Elsa was giving Anna the most curious expression. It was an odd cross between incredulous and possible offense. The ginger didn't seem to think her comment was out of place, which caused the band members to exchange anxious looks. How was Elsa going handle the bland and not so supportive comment?

"Repetitive?" Elsa repeated, her brows furrowing.

"Elsa, no offense, but you guys to the same thing almost every single show," Anna said, folding her arms across her chest. "I mean, you guys sound awesome, don't get me wrong, but… don't you think you could take a break from raising one's glass at least one performance?" She leaned back in her seat and clicked her tongue. "But hey, if you want to continue the routine, that's fine. Your call. I just assumed that you'd want to spice it up a bit. But what do I know?" She looked Elsa directly in her icy eyes. "I'm not part of the band."

Not only did understanding dawn in Elsa's mind but the words Anna shot at her were sinking through like thick cream, seeping along the crevices of her brain. The boys held their breath, waiting to see Elsa's reaction and prepared to surge forward to protect Anna from any and all attacks. Anna continued to stare Elsa down, daring her to make a comment.

"You are absolutely right," Elsa stated, nodding once.

"Wait, what?" Anna gawked, her brows shooting upwards.

The breath the boys were holding was audible as they exhaled. Elsa sent Anna a grin and clapped her hard on the back.

"Good call, kid! You know I think it's time we add a few new songs to our repertoire." She got to her feet and faced her band mates. "Gentlemen— if you can ever live up to the name gentlemen— it's time to get down to business."

"Now?" Sitron asked weakly.

"Well… no, but we need to really surpass expectations," Elsa said, spreading her arms. "If our ickle, baby roadie thinks we need to spice things up, then we must spice things up!"

"How do you propose we do that?" Olaf wondered, his brown eyes bugging out of his in childlike excitement. The new spark in Elsa's eyes was enthralling and he could tell she had a plan.

"A band meeting, all… _five_ of us," Elsa announced, turning to Anna and giving her that same smile she had released on the bus half a week ago.

Anna felt her heart flutter. Elsa had gotten the message that Anna was emotionally hurt by her comment regarding her status in the band. Now she was giving Anna that liberty and openly inviting her to meet with the rest of them, planning their next concert and being able to get a word in.

A gloved hand appeared in front of her, snapping her out of her appreciative thoughts. She followed the arm up to Elsa's face, that smile still plastered amongst the dusted freckles and pale skin.

"What say you, kid?" she asked softly. "How's about we skip the party tonight and head to my room so we can brainstorm?"

Unable to suppress a grin, Anna clapped her leather on top of Elsa's and allowed herself to be yanked to her feet.

"Sounds awesome," Anna agreed.

The three boys in the background all exchanged stupendous expressions, silently agreeing that Elsa's constant emotional change was truly giving them whiplash, like Marshmallow had stated a while back.

With all their things collected and a few autographs signed and many pictures taken, the band trekked over to their hotel and piled into Elsa's bedroom to begin their plan for the following concert in Salem, Oregon. That night, they gathered on Elsa's bed, ordered room service, and stayed up into the late hours of the evening, making list after list of fresh material for more concerts to come.

Around three in the morning, everyone was tapped out and exhausted. Olaf curled himself up into a little ball in one of the chairs by the window. Sitron had passed out on the floor with his packet of cigarettes sticking out of his pocket after his slump off of the bed he was pressed up against. Marshmallow took over the couch, snoring deeply in a somewhat soothing tone, as if he were a sleeping giant guarding his most precious treasures without fear a theif would come and take any.

Elsa and Anna were on the bed, lying parallel to each other, their feet on the pillows and their heads on the foot of the bed, blankets strewn in all different directions from an argument between Sitron and Anna over something no one could quite remember. Elsa was sleeping on her back, Anna on her side. In between the two were the mounds of paper they had used to write down new ideas— including some lyrics Anna had thrown Elsa's way for her new album.

That night Elsa knew she was never going to forget. She had reverted back to her roots of when she and the boys and planned out their first concert ever. They had holed themselves in Sitron's garage, eating pizza, and eventually knocking out in a pile on the rug. Perhaps, she had reasoned while she nodded off a bit earlier, it was good to go back to what she was familiar with. It could give her a chance to find that special spark in her career that got her here in the first place.

And Anna had actually been a stupendous help. The girl really knew how to go off on a tangent in her rambles but Elsa found them quite endearing. They would often lead to something inspiring on Elsa's part and she would write them down without Anna's knowledge. Now she had a notebook full of things Anna had said that night resting in the crook of her arm, hoping to insert them in an album sometime in the near future.

* * *

 

Back on the bus after a complimentary breakfast in the hotel, the band returned to their idle activities on their few hour drive to Salem. Elsa locked herself away in her bedroom to struggle with song lyrics, flipping haplessly through her notes from last night. Marshmallow was reading on one of the couches while Olaf and Sitron played one another on a video game. Anna was in her own bedroom doing what she had meant to do on the trip: study.

She had been procrastinating and she knew it. The dazzling lights of the stage and opportunity to hang out with a rock band was blinding her and she was slowly becoming exactly the way she was when she was in high school. A girl who wanted to goof around and have fun, hardly making any time for her work. Now that she was an adult, she had to focus on her education. And Elsa and Olaf and everyone else was a mere distraction. Getting caught up in spotlights wasn't Anna's thing and she wasn't going to restart.

Even during lunch where everybody made something from the fridge, all Anna did was pop a bag of popcorn and study in the booth, her friends kicking back on the couch to watch television.

An hour or so before they pulled into Salem, Anna decided to take a break from her books and sink into the couch beside Elsa as the rockstar watched some cartoon that Anna didn't catch the name of.

"Hey, kiddo," Elsa greeted. "How's the studying going?"

"Fine," Anna replied plainly. "How's the song writing going?"

"Stupid," Elsa grunted, clearly uninterested in talking about it.

"Isn't Kai gonna be pissed at you if you don't finish—?"

"I know, I know!" The punk rubbed her temple with creased brows. "Look, kid, can we talk about anything else? How about we talk about your… appearance?"

"Excuse me?" Anna exclaimed, high affronted. She smoothed down her red hair— still flying free out of its braids and falling gently down her back— and smoothed out invisible wrinkles on her jeans. "That was rude!"

"No— I meant as a punk!" Elsa assured, smirking. "You don't have any ink… or piercings. And that dumb college sweatshirt has got to go."

I do too have piercings!" She pointed to her twin earrings in the shape of roses. "And I don't want a tattoo nor do I want to get rid of my sweatshirt!"

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Fine. But I'm gonna up your look anyway." Anna was about to protest but Elsa cut her off. "Just trust me, kid! Simple beginnings. Understand?"

"What did you have in mind?" Anna sighed, deciding to humor the punk.

It was clear Elsa wasn't going to give up on this pursuit. But if things got out of hand, Anna thought, she was going to put her foot down.

"Don't worry about it," Elsa said, the wheels in her head turning maliciously.

"I think I should worry about it," Anna countered.

"Don't you trust me?"

"No!"

Elsa burst out laughing. "Good call! But can you please give me a chance?" She recovered from her bouts of giggling and leaned into the cushion behind her. "You're the one who said you want to be friends with me, right? Consider this a… bonding moment."

Anna pursed her lips in what was the most adorable pout Elsa had ever seen. She flashed the ginger her cheshire-cat grin, earning an impressive eye roll from the roadie.

" _Fine_. But if it has anything to do with sex shops or strippers or something, I'm out," Anna said seriously.

"You seriously have some misguided opinions about me, darling," Elsa chirped.

* * *

 

They reached Salem and hour later, Anna tying up her laces on her Docs, ready to follow Elsa out and into the town to do whatever Elsa had planned for her. The boys had headed out already on their own, Oaken talking to a few techies before he started unloading the bus. Once Anna stepped out, she found an impatient Elsa waiting for her, arms folded across her chest and her combat boots tapping on the pavement.

"Took you long enough," Elsa said, clapping Anna on the back and shoving her forward gently. "Let's go, kid. I wanna get this done before dinnertime."

"You still haven't told me anything about what you want me to do," Anna pointed out.

"It's a surprise. First things first…" Elsa trailed off and a wicked gleam sparkled in her icy eyes as they entered deep into the city.

They were silent as Elsa searched through her phone, looking for the perfect location to begin her little escapade with the roadie. The last thing she wanted was to give Anna an experience that was distasteful or unsafe. Anna was basically her responsibility. Then again, she didn't want any harm to come to her in the first place.

When she found the place with the most stars and the best reviews, she got directions and started to drag Anna where her phone told her to go.

"Now… if you go through with this, I'll buy you a reward," Elsa told her, her gloved hand gripping on Anna's torn at the sleeves jean jacket she had purchased on her shopping spree with Olaf, her olive green cut off beneath it.

"I'm really getting a bad vibe from you," the redhead said wearily.

"I told you to _trust_ me," Elsa said, rolling her eyes. "You're gonna be fine in my hands."

"Why do I doubt that?" Anna grumbled.

Elsa pulled them to a stop on a street corner and faced Anna, staring at her dead in the eyes.

"Kid, listen to me," Elsa said lowly. "I don't understand why you're making these preconceived notions about the kind of person I am. But I promise you that I wouldn't dare let anything bad happen to you. Nothing life threatening, nothing that can put you in any serious danger. Understand?"

"Elsa, you're the most difficult person to read in my lifetime," Anna replied hotly. "You have so many changes in moods, it's hard for me to tell which one is the real Elsa… if there is one beneath all those façades."

The corners of Elsa's mouth twitched but Anna couldn't tell if they were meant to be for a smile or frown. Instead, the punk leaned back and crossed her arms, observing Anna in a similar way she had before she gave Anna that genuine smile a week or so ago. Trying to figure Anna out… just as Anna was struggling to do with her.

"Okay, how about this?" Elsa proposed. "Just for this one day, trust me and let me be your friend." She extended her leather clad hand out to Anna. "Don't think of me as Elsa the rockstar. Think of me as Elsa your pal." She sent Anna a crooked smile. "Sound good?"

The ginger's teal eyes darted from Elsa's hand and up into her pale face. She scrunched her brows and bit her lip.

"Alright," she sighed, her hand clasping with Elsa's in what Anna defined as a "bro" handshake, the sound of leather meeting leather filling the cloudy Oregon air.

"Awesome!" Elsa beamed. "C'mon! We're almost there!"

"Where is there?" Anna demanded, her hand still in Elsa's and being yanked forward against her will, her feet tripping over themselves.

But Elsa was taciturn, making all sorts of turns down streets and bolting through crosswalks. Several people did recognize her but didn't dare stop her from her pursuit, weaving in and out of crowds.

Finally the girls came to a halt, Anna panting from having to keep up with the enthusiastic punk. Elsa released her hand and grinned up at the sign hanging over the shop before them, the roadie pressed her hands to her knees, hunched over, and trying to catch her breath.

"O… okay," Anna wheezed, lifting her head to stare at the sign.

"Mad T Party Tattoos and Piercings," she read aloud. "Oh… oh _no_ I told you I am not getting a—"

"Not a tattoo, kid!" Elsa said, opening the door and guiding Anna inside. "A piercing. A _proper_ piercing. Like mine." She tapped the cartilage piercing on her left ear.

"One of _those_!?" Anna exclaimed. "Those are supposed to hurt like a bitch!"

Elsa cracked up. "Yeah, I know. But hear me out. It'll look good on you! And I'm paying for it so you don't have to worry. I know how to care for them and I'll be right here to hold your delicate hand when they do it."

"I hate you so much right now," Anna growled.

"I know," Elsa said. "But you get something out of it. A new piercing and a reward."

"What is it?" Anna wondered.

"That's a surprise."

Her eyes scanned the moderately busy parlor until she caught the eye of one of the free employees. She was blonde and blue eyed, one entire arm smothered with tattoos. They spied a few images standing out such as a man and rabbit drinking tea, another rabbit rushing through a hole with an oversized pocket watch, and a caterpillar smoking with the name _Alice_ spelled out in the smoke above his head.

The girl was dressed in a peculiar outfit; a blue dress with ruffles and frills at the hem, and torn black stockings. Along the frills were things that said "drink me" or "eat me." One hand was covered in a fish-net material glove, the other exposed and bare. In her curly blonde hair was a place head band, the tendrils of her locks tumbling along her shoulders and down her back. Her heels were a blood red and clunky but absolutely gorgeous, her legs crossed and her left foot bouncing in the air.

Noticing she had costumers, she got up from her seat and strode over to them, speaking in the sweetest voice they had ever heard come from someone so heavily set in the punk movement.

"You… you're _Elsa_ aren't you?" she whispered so others around her wouldn't hear.

"That's right," Elsa grinned. "And I need your assistance today, love."

"Then how may I help you?" she asked politely, giving them a smile that made her eyes crinkle.

"Uh… my friend Anna here is getting a cartilage piercing," Elsa said, grabbing Anna by the shoulders and maneuvering her so she was standing in front of the girl, the counter in between them. "She's of legal age and I'm paying for her appointment." She rested her chin on Anna's shoulder with a stupid grin on her face, only to have it get shaken off by a very irritated ginger. "Sound good?"

"Sounds great," the girl said, winking at Anna. "My name is Alice, by the way… let's see." She ducked underneath the counter and grabbed the liability waivers. "Just sign those while I get everything prepped." Alice smiled once again before bounding over to her station.

"I really, really hate you," Anna groaned, reaching over to snatch a pen and sign the papers before her. She saw there was no way she was getting out of this one.

All Elsa did was snort into her fist, giddy at the fact she was actually going to witness Anna do something like this. After Anna filled everything out, she walked over to Alice and sank into the chair at her station, Elsa taking a seat on her other side. Anna wanted to prove to Elsa she was willing to go the distance and do something out of her comfort zone. She wasn't some innocent, dumb, naive little college student Elsa picked out of a crowd. She was Anna, a roadie to the most popular punk band and dammit she was going to look like one!

Alice started humming a tune under her breath as she sterilized Anna's right ear. The redhead found herself shaking and her old self started to creep through. The old self that was actually a scared nineteen-year-old girl. Elsa started to feel guilty and leaned close to Anna, her icy eyes full of concern.

"Hey, if you're really against this… you can just say the word," Elsa told her.

"No… I want to do this," Anna said. "No backing out now." She grit her teeth, her face set in determination. "I'll get the damn piercing and get whatever reward you have in mind."

Elsa smirked. "I've said it before and I'll say it again, you're a fucking trooper."

"Alright, I'm all prepared," Alice said, marking the spot in which she would pierce Anna's cartilage. "You ready?"

Anna extended her hand to Elsa and the punk grasped it, giving it a supportive squeeze. With a nod, the ginger screwed her eyes shut and took in a deep breath, feeling the gun loom over her right ear.

"Now this is a gun that's… newer," Alice warned her. "It's to ensure that the cartilage won't break when its pierced."

"Okay," Anna whimpered.

"On the count of three," Alice said supportingly. "One… two… three!"

_Ka-chunk!_

Anna let out the loudest scream and clamped a hand over her mouth, tears flowing and her ear throbbing with the most searing amount of pain she had ever experiences. With muffled swears being shouted into her palm, she tightened her hold on Elsa's hand, only to have her squeeze back with as much force as she could.

"F-fuck!" Anna wailed.

"You did it!" Elsa praised. "Anna, you did it!"

Alice smiled to herself and placed the gun back onto the table, grabbing a few cleaning supplies to give to the girls so Anna could care for her new piercing. The poor roadie was still whimpering, trying to hold back on the urge to touch the half-hoop ring that was now sunk into her skin.

"I'm proud of you," Elsa chuckled, brushing a few stray hairs out of Anna's face, feeling the girl's trembling skin as her exposed fingers brushed over her forehead. "Wait 'til the guys see this."

Anna let out a shaky giggle, taking shallow gulps of air, trying to calm herself down.

"Now, you can't sleep on your right side for a while," Alice instructed. "Clean it everyday to avoid infection, swelling, and other things that aren't exactly pleasant." She handed Elsa a bag of antibacterial soap. "Since you have one yourself, I assume you'll be of great assistance for your friend."

"Of course," Elsa said with a nod. "Now about the payment. Shall we do it at the counter?"

"Yes, that would be best," Alice agreed, rising to her feet. She patted Anna on the shoulder, smiling genially. "Good job, Anna. You did very well."

"Th-thanks," Anna croaked.

With one final squeeze on Anna's hand, Elsa followed Alice over and they began the transaction. Anna let out a shuddering breath and slumped into the leather exterior of the chair, still quivering with pain. Her ear was thrumming from the shock of the gun that had attacked her cartilage like a hole punch on a flimsy piece of paper. Her hands gripped the arm rests and she opened her eyes to stare at herself in the mirror in front of her.

Tenderly, she brushed her hair behind her ear to get a better view of it. It was silver, like Elsa's, and was sparkling gently in the lights above her. Her ear was an angry red from being practically shot and it still felt as if someone was tugging hard at it.

"First cartilage piercing?" a voice asked.

She hadn't noticed a tall man with stringy, long, red hair hidden underneath a rather large, green hat with sunglasses on them appear at her side. His jacket was a neon purple and he had a scarf decked out in multicolored dots. His shirt said "we're all mad here" and his belt— holding up a pair of red and black stripped pants— had a teapot on the buckle. He also wore fingerless gloves but not the kind Elsa did. They were red and reached the top of his wrist instead of continuing down to the bottom.

"Uh, yeah," Anna nodded.

"I think you did well," he complimented, sitting in Alice's empty seat. "I had a costumer the other day scream so many profanities, it was embarrassing. You only said fuck so I think that's a big win."

Anna smiled at him. "Thanks… I kinda got to watch my language, though. I usually don't like to swear."

"Swearing's been proven to ease pain, did you know that?" he asked, grinning at her and showing his teeth that were slightly stained from what Anna assumed was tea drinking.

"I did not," Anna admitted.

"Well, it does," he said. "So you should swear more often."

She giggled. "I'll do my best, if it would please you."

"It would," he chuckled. His eyes flickered onto Elsa for a moment and he leaned forward. "You… you know Elsa?"

"Oh… yeah, I do," she confirmed. "You a fan of Dry Ice?"

"Big fan," he said giddily. "I'm seeing them tomorrow night with Alice. How'd you get to know her?"

"I'm a roadie," she told him. "I'm a newer one but I basically work for Elsa."

"That's fucking amazing," he said. "I used to be in a band with everyone here. Named the store after it. We never really made it but we were popular in high school."

"You were the Mad T Party? I think I have one of your EPs. You guys were a cover band, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Oh my gosh I wondered what happened to you guys!" Anna squealed. "My cousin and I heard about you on the radio when I was in middle school! You're the Mad Hatter, aren't you!?"

"That's right!" he said.

"Oh wow… This is awesome," she sighed.

"Don't you think you should be fan girling over Dry Ice now?" he grinned.

"I have… mixed feeling about them, to be honest. They got to be too big and it seemed I would be just jumping onto the bandwagon."

"I see. Well, I wish you nothing but luck and good graces. A lot of people would kill to be in your shoes."

"Let's go, kid!" Elsa called from the front.

Anna sent him a thankful smile and strode over to Elsa, thanking Alice, and following the punk out into the Salem air.

"Alright, next stop is the mall. I'll be getting you what you deserve for being such a trooper," Elsa praised.

* * *

 

In celebration of Anna getting her cartilage pierced, Elsa brought her to a little retail store and purchased a brown jacket that the collar could be popped up much like Elsa's black jacket did.

"It's to replace the sweatshirt. You don't have to get rid of it but god forbid you wear that thing near me again," Elsa teased, shoving the new clothes into Anna's arms.

After that, Elsa bought the both of them ice cream and they sat on a bench to people watch, eating their frozen treats silently. Anna was focusing all of her attention onto her ice cream, praying that some of the chilliness of it would reach her ear somehow.

"I have a really weird question," Elsa piped up.

"What's that?" Anna replied.

"Well… Sitron had asked me this a while ago and… It's kinda funny."

"Shoot."

"What song would you have sex to?"

Anna snorted into her ice cream, making Elsa laugh and shake her head. When the ginger recovered from her fit of giggles, she responded.

"Uh, well, I haven't really given it any thought," she said, shrugging.

"Okay. Hypothetically if you were to have sex right now and you had to pick a song, which would you pick?" Elsa said.

"In that case… I suppose I've always found the song 'Sex On Fire' by Kings of Leon pretty good." Elsa laughed into her fist.

"You do know that song is about STDs, right?"

"No, it's not!" Anna protested.

"Yes, it is!" Elsa retorted.

"You're lying!"

"Look it up!"

Anna pointed and glared at the snickering punk beside her. Elsa let out an uncharacteristic giggle, taking a lick of her ice cream.

"Well, _that's_ your interpretation," Anna said stubbornly. "What was your response? What song would you have sex to?"

"'Do I Wanna Know' by Arctic Monkeys," Elsa said automatically.

"Good pick," Anna approved, finishing off her treat, sucking the excess cone that was left on her fingertips. "Should we head back to the bus?"

"Yup," Elsa nodded, standing and following Anna out of the mall. "All in all, would you say that this was a good experience?"

"Sure. It was nice to know one Elsa," Anna teased. "Or at least spend the day with her."

"She's not an open book," Elsa said wisely.

"I'll get there," Anna said. "Chapter by chapter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave kudos and comments! I appreciate the support!


	9. Caves of Ice

"Ow!"

"It won't hurt as bad if you stop fidgeting, kid. Sit _still_."

"You're jamming it into the hole!"

"No, I'm not. You're being a whiney, over dramatic little shit."

Anna pouted and glared at Elsa, who was a few inches below her as the roadie was sitting atop the kitchen counter beside the sink. The special ear piercing liquid bottle was open and a Q-tip was in Elsa's gloved grip, the punk trying to clean Anna's new cartilage piercing to avoid any unpleasantries that Alice had warned them to watch out for.

With as much gentle force as she could, Elsa swabbed the cotton along the area where the metal and the skin met, dabbing it with the antibacterial serum. Anna was making it quite the challenge to clean it, however, because she kept squirming and making little, terrified squeaks. It was somewhat cute at the beginning but now it was starting to get on Elsa's nerves.

They had returned to the bus after they finished their ice cream to find the boys back inside, talking amongst themselves. Since their concert was the following evening, they hadn't checked into their hotels just yet and were planning on crashing in the bus for the night. When the boys caught sight of Anna's new piercing, they went ballistic. They demanded why Elsa didn't take them along to see it happen, pelted Anna with questions, and then offered all sorts of piercing cleaning advice until Elsa told them to back off before she "ripped their dicks off and feed them to a stray dog," which made Anna crack up laughing until she had to sit down in order to support herself on her own two feet.

But now it was time to clean the piercing due to Anna's complaining and fretting that she was going to get an infection even after Elsa showed her some of the pamphlets regarding the care of cartilage piercings she had picked up on the way out.

Anna refused to touch it and allowed the one girl there who had experience in cleaning one take care of the first week of maintenance.

"You're a big fucking baby," Elsa mumbled, dabbing a little more of the liquid onto the Q-tip. "When you got the thing you hardly wiggled around like this. Now you're acting as if this were the most painful thing you've ever had to go through."

"It stings," Anna grunted.

"Yeah, it's gonna do that," Elsa said, rolling her eyes.

Anna sent a kick into Elsa's thigh. Elsa shot her a warning look, her brows raising like some big sister about to tell off her younger sibling.

"Do that again and I might rip out the damn thing on my own," Elsa said darkly.

"You wouldn't."

"Wanna bet?"

Their eyes clashed dangerously for five seconds before Anna submitted, biting her lip and allowing Elsa to continue her cleaning. Olaf appeared at Anna's side and leaned his back on the edge of the counter, gazing critically at the roadie's piercing.

"Nice, clean job," he approved. "How bad did it hurt?"

"I screamed a little but… It wasn't too awful," Anna said, very aware and very distracted of the physical contact Elsa's gloved hand was making with her arm to keep her steady, her fingers on the other hand working the Q-tip smoothly around the metal.

"She was great," Elsa complimented. "At least her scream was dignified. Unlike Sitron's when he got his nose pierced. He screamed so high pitched, I swear I went deaf for at least five minutes."

"Fuck you," Sitron barked from his bunk, scowling heavily.

"I don't understand how that hurt so much," Olaf said, giggling.

"We're all different beings," whined the bassist, returning his eyes to his magazine. "People react to things in their own special way."

"Okay, you're all done," Elsa said, removing the swab and tossing it into the trash bin. "See? That wasn't so bad."

"Thanks, Els," Anna said, tenderly touching her smarting ear.

"Whoa, hey, not so fast with the nickname, kid," Elsa said. "'Els' is reserved for best friends only."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Right. How could I have forgotten that we're tentative buds or whatever you said." She hopped off the counter and entered her room, shutting it behind her to get a start on her studying for the night.

"You're not really nice to Anna," Olaf observed, raising his pierced brow at Elsa.

"We're trying our best," Elsa shrugged indifferently, closing the top of the cleaning liquid and stuck it back into the bathroom. She flopped down onto one of the couches, Olaf joining her shortly afterward.

"Look, all I'm saying is that you should cut her some slack," Olaf suggested. "It's just… your mood swings and your constant change in attitude towards her are really tough to follow. I can tell Anna's getting super frustrated with you."

"That happens to me a lot," she reminded him.

"God, you're seriously putting those walls up high," Olaf sighed, rubbing his temple. "I'm giving up. That's it. Bro, toss me a Coke. I need to drink away my problems called Elsa."

Elsa rolled her eyes and flipped the guitarist off as Marshmallow handed him a cool can of Coke from the mini fridge. Sitron snickered, silently agreeing with Olaf. Everyone there knew that Elsa was too afraid to allow another friend into her life. Anna was testing the waters only to be shot down almost immediately afterward. It wasn't her fault, of course. Elsa was just being Elsa… as usual.

They all just wished she'd allow Anna in more so they could get on with the tour without the two of them bickering over every little thing. Not a few days earlier, they had been fighting backstage over something that Anna had allegedly done incorrectly. It was a mess until Oaken stepped in and lead Elsa away while Olaf tried to ease the seething roadie.

And then the following day, they were acting like friends and sharing a bowl of popcorn as they watched some daytime TV movie in the bus.

It just didn't make any sense.

"Can't you just be yourself around her?" Olaf wondered, taking a swig of his drink.

"That's the problem," Elsa found herself saying. "I don't know who that is anymore…"

Olaf paused his drinking, Marshmallow stared at Elsa from the booth, and Sitron stuck his head out of his bunk. This was the first time in a long time they were seeing the raw, emotional side of Elsa.

"I don't have many friends, do I?" Elsa went on. "Except you guys."

"You have friends!" Olaf protested.

"Name one that's not in the band," she drilled, sending him a rather reproachful look.

The guitarist opened and closed his mouth several times, each time getting more and more discouraged that he couldn't find a friend to be named off of the top of his head. Marshmallow perked up and tried to come up with a friend.

"How about… your most recent ex-girlfriend?" he offered.

Elsa let out a bark of sarcastic laughter. "She won't even look at me anymore. Hardly spit in my direction."

The boys all exchanged saddened looks. It was very true. Elsa didn't have any friends outside the band. No wonder it was so hard for her to open up to Anna.

"Well, whatever," Elsa scoffed, crossing her legs. "I had a few ideas to run by you guys. For a lyric, what do you think of…"

* * *

 

Anna was fiddling with Elsa's handless microphone, taping it onto the punk's pale skin an hour before showtime, her eyes squinting as she attempted to brush away the light hair that constantly stuck to the sticky side of the tape.

"You done?" Elsa asked impatiently.

"No… hold up," Anna fussed. "This is the first time you're doing a show with this?"

"It's an experiment," Elsa shrugged, examining her nails critically. "It might be nice to use my hands a little more often for the end of 'Let It Go.' Y'know, when I point out to the crowd—"

"And the snow falls yeah, yeah," Anna mumbled.

Elsa smirked. "You really do know this show inside and out now, don'tcha?"

"Yup. Or, at least the finale," Anna said, finally taping the damn wire to Elsa's skin. "There we go." She started walking with Elsa down the hallway, watching as the punk took several swigs of her water, towards the main backstage area. "So, what's the plan for after the show? Another after party?"

"Yeah. As usual," Elsa said. "It's becoming lackluster, I know."

"Can't we do something else?"

"You can if you want. But I'd like to get my fill of stranger kisses tonight."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Of course you do. I don't understand something, though. You just make out with them until you're too tired to do it anymore?"

"Eh… not exactly. It's just for the thrill of getting so close to having sex but you never go through with it."

"Living on the edge?"

"If you _have_ to put it that way."

"Aren't there drugs for that?"

"This may be a shock to you, kid, but I don't do drugs. Personal reasons and my body isn't exactly welcoming to things like weed or shit like that." She stuck a finger towards her mouth and made a face. "The outcome ain't pretty. I felt bad for whoever had to clean up that toilet after my stomach got through with it."

"Gross!" Anna complained, clamping her hands over her ears… only to have her right ear experience a shooting pain. "Awh, fuck! My piercing!"

"Yeah, be careful," Elsa laughed. "And watch your fucking language."

"Hardy har har," Anna pouted. "Can you clean it when you get back to the hotel room?"

"I'll be too drunk to do otherwise, kid," Elsa said. "I showed you how to do it. It's not that hard."

"I know…" Anna sighed and stuck her hands in her pockets. "I'll be a big girl and do it myself."

"And anyway, you and I aren't sharing a room this time around," Elsa reminded her.

"Oh, right."

"Elsa! Someone is here to see you!" Olaf called as the girls entered backstage.

"Who and why should I care?" Elsa said lazily, sauntering over to him.

"It's…" He leaned close and hissed something in her ear that Anna didn't pick up.

But almost immediately after he pulled back, her face darkened and her teeth bared with fury.

"Why is he here?" she demanded.

"Hans sent him I think," Olaf squeaked. "Don't kill the messenger, Els."

"Who did Hans send?" Anna piped up.

"One of his asinine brothers," Elsa spat. "Fucking moron. What, did he think I was gonna sign them back on as our amp sponsors again?"

"I don't know," Olaf said helplessly, shaking his head.

"Let me talk to him," Anna said.

"Wha— No! Kid, this isn't your jurisdiction," Olaf said, his eyes switching from Elsa to Anna and back again.

"I don't care. I dated Hans and so I knew his brothers. Let me see if I can't get him to leave."

"Anna…" Elsa began but trailed off when the redhead marched over to the area where Olaf came from.

The roadie found Oaken glowering over one of the many brothers Hans had, the big guy folding his arms across his broad chest. This particular brother was one of the decent boys of the bunch, one that Anna actually was going to miss when she cut off ties with Hans after his cheating incident. His name was Anders and he had that same, fluffy red hair that his youngest brother did, thick glasses, and always wore something snappy when he went out.

"Oaken," Anna said, approaching them, "I got this."

The security guard backed down and lumbered over to a safe distance to keep an eye on the precious roadie as she stood before the newcomer.

"Anna!?" Anders gasped. "What in the world are you doing here?"

"I work for the band," Anna said shortly. "Is there something I can help you with? You being here is stressing Elsa out."

"I came as a representative for the amps—"

"Save it," Anna said, holding up a hand. "We're not taking you guys back."

"Not quite like that," he rushed. "Hans is out for some… stupid vengeance."

Anna lowered her hand and her brow creased. "How do you mean?"

"He's really angry that Elsa fired him without good reason," Anders said, twisting his hands together. "So he wants to ensure that her career is over before it really begins."

"And how does he intend to do that?" she wondered, worry crossing her features. "I'm not sure. He didn't say. But I came to warn you and to say that this is not our doing whatsoever." He ran a hand through his hair. "You know how he can get. Just warn Elsa, please. And tell her that father has nothing to do with this therefore we can avoid a lawsuit if something bad were to happen with Hans' fingerprints all over it."

"Will do," Anna said. "Thank you, Anders."

He sent her a thin smile before heading out, scurrying out of sight. Anna furrowed her brows and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, turning on her heel and meeting up with an expectant Olaf and an impatient Elsa.

"Well?" Elsa said hurriedly. "It was Anders… I don't know if you know him well but…" Anna fiddled with the sleeve of the jacket Elsa had bought her. "He said that whatever scheme Hans pulls has nothing to do with the amp company."

"Wait, what?" Olaf said, his eyebrows raising.

"Hans is angry at Elsa for firing him so he's seeking revenge," Anna announced quietly.

"You've got to be fucking joking," Elsa said.

She shook her head. "No. Not joking."

"Fucking brilliant," the blonde moaned, running a gloved hand over her face in agony. "Now I have to worry about Hans trying to sabotage my shows!"

"Don't _you_ worry about it," Anna said forcefully. "I'll get Oaken to alert the theatre security and keep an eye out for anyone who looks like Hans. I'll make sure the crew members around the backstage area don't let Hans in." She looked Elsa in the eye. "It's my job to worry for you. Now do your singing warm ups in the back while I handle the Hans situation."

Elsa stared at Anna in awe before nodding, dropping her icy eyes to the ground and leading herself to the dressing room where she could practice in peace.

Thankfully, the show went smoothly without a catastrophe caused by Anna's stupid ex-boyfriend. She had hoped Anders' warning was one of good graces. A "just in case" kind of message if Hans planned to go through with any of his schemes.

The Salem trip continued on as any normal stop would: the concert, the after party, and then waking up with a headache and regret. Although, Anna has attended the first night's after party and hung out with Alice and the "Mad Hatter" until they decided to go out with friends to have some fun with a few little "candies" Anna was pretty sure weren't actually candies.

That's when she exited the party and crashed on her hotel bed.

* * *

 

On the final day, Elsa decided it was time for a workout, heading down to the gym early in the morning. So she and the boys scoped out an area where they could do their exercises in peace, Oaken keeping a lookout for any fans who spotted the band and wanted pictures or autographs.

Anna was grateful for the chance to go to the gym to work away the disgusting amount of junk food she and the band had been indulging on for several days. While the three boys went over to the heavy weights, Elsa and Anna stuck around together by the cardio machines, Elsa running at an easy pace on the treadmill while Anna did some stretches in front of her.

"This is fantastic," Anna moaned pleasantly, bending down and touching her toes, her back arching with ease. "I really needed this."

"Glad you're getting your fill, kid," Elsa chuckled breathlessly, reaching over and turning up the speed by two. "In a while, I need you to help me out when I practice my punches on the punching bag." She stuck a gloved finger over to a red bag dangling by a chain nearby.

"You do that stuff?" Anna wondered, returning to a standing position vertebrae by vertebrae.

"I used to do martial arts in middle school but my mom made me quit," Elsa explained. "Now hold on a second, I can't talk and run at the same time."

"Oh, right, sorry," Anna said, finally coming to a full stand, twisting her arms in an attempt to further crack her back.

Even while she worked out, Elsa still wore her gloves. It _must_  have been sweaty in that leather. Even the boys had removed their gloves to get a firmer grip on the metal weights, yelling at one another to gain one more number in their lifting. They were all rather fit— Marshmallow a little more pudgy than the other two— and Elsa, of course, had a perfect rockstar body. Her hips swayed even as she ran along the treadmill, her forehead shining with sweat.

Anna found herself staring. She couldn't help herself. Even though Elsa got on her nerves more than any person on the planet, she was incredibly attractive and her body was _right there_ in all its glory, her midriff exposed by her sports bra, leggings hugging her curves perfectly.

"Hey, Anna, if you want to stare, there's a fee," Elsa teased, smirking down at the roadie.

Anna flushed and rolled her eyes, tearing her gaze from the glorious body of the rockstar.

"You wish," Anna snarled, marching over to one of the stationary bikes.

"Have you fallen for me yet, Baby?" Elsa called after her, laughing.

"Keep laughing, punk, and run outta breath. Maybe you'll stop talking for a while," Anna said over her shoulder. "It'll do a lot of us some good."

Elsa grinned but flipped Anna off, shaking her head. After the girls finished their cardio and the boys went off for a sauna break, Elsa and Anna went over to the punching bag where Elsa made Anna shut her eyes as she taped up her bare hands, Oaken standing over Elsa like a guardian so nobody could see what she was hiding behind the leather. Once her hands were covered, Anna watched as Elsa started to ram her fists repeatedly into the exterior of the bag, her brows furrowed and braid swishing behind her.

"So… I have to know… Olaf said you weren't the Elsa I know now back in high school," Anna commented, her eyes fixed on the bag as it was smacked hard by the rockstar. "Is that true? What were you like?"

Elsa sent her a crooked smile. "Well, it's a little bit of history that nobody ever believes."

"I'm curious."

"Would you believe me if I told you I used to wear collared shirts, ironed gingham skirts, and glasses?"

Anna gaped. "No… I don't think I would."

"Told you."

"But you really did!?"

"Yup. I used to be quite the goody-two-shoes. My hair held in place with a headband, books in my arms, and my hand in the air during class with all the right answers. I was a smart son of a bitch."

"Then how did that become… this?" Anna gestured to the blonde in front of her, completely shocked at the image of a conservative fourteen-year-old Elsa that danced in her head.

Elsa stayed silent for a few seconds, remembering what Olaf has said about her walls being up high. Since Anna was a genuinely curious girl, Elsa thought there was no real harm in letting her in on an edited version of her backstory. So she took a deep breath and dove in, choosing her words carefully.

"I was a normal kid for a while, I suppose. I lived with two loving parents up until I was eight-years-old. My dad wasn't exactly a master at holding down jobs and barely made ends meet. I never worried, though. But my mom was getting frustrated and decided to leave my dad, taking me with her to my grandmother's house." She landed a hard punch into the bag, sending it swinging on its chain for a few seconds before it came to a halt. "I hated my mother for that." Elsa started punching the bag again, her eyes narrowing with concentration. "Growing up, I stuck with my normal etiquette. I was a good girl who did her homework and dressed properly. I wasn't stupid; I'm actually quite brilliant at math, if I may say so."

She made a few hard blows into the middle, Anna raising her brows at her, urging her to continue. Elsa paused for a minute, took a swig of water, and then went back to hitting her target.

"But when I was twelve, I got a No Doubt CD for my birthday. My father had sent it to me from wherever he was living and, in the card, told me I might like their music. It was one of their early ones… Rock Steady." She smiled wistfully, ignoring a bead of sweat as it rolled down her cheek. "My favorite album was in my hands and I didn't even know it yet. So that night, I listened to it in its entirety and fell in love with their music, dreaming of being able to make someone feel as good as I did when I listened to them. So I asked my mother for singing lessons and music lessons.

"But she said no."

Anna gasped. "You're kidding!"

"Nope. She said it was pointless and that I should be focusing on my academics instead. Mind you, I had my nose so hard to the fucking grindstone that I hardly had any friends to count on my fingers." Elsa sent another hard punch into the bag, grinding her teeth. "And I was livid. So that's where my rebellious phase picked up. I saved up money for contacts on my own, snuck away with my CD— which my mom tried to take from me— and listened to it on my ancient Walk-Man on the roof of the garage, and started to add a few dark shades to my wardrobe.

"By that time, I was nearing high school. As a freshman, I ran into Olaf and he was a part of the band, a guitarist in the symphonic section or something. I can't really remember. He was my first friend who really understood my passion for music. And by then, I had listened to all sorts of ska, punk, rock, alternative, and other kinds of music to fuel my need to be just like them. His parents were professional musicians at the time and they gave me free music lessons, while I lied to my mom and told her I was attending a study group."

"So you just went punk like that?" Anna asked, snapping her fingers in example.

"Oh, not at all. I kept my good girl façade up and finished high school with top marks, graduating with honors. Mom thought it was a phase when I got my cartilage piercings and ear cuffs." Elsa cackled, sending a few good blows up and down the bag. "That was just the beginning. I decided to not go to college and I traveled around with a band as a roadie for a while… for like… a good four months." She trailed off and stopped punching, cracking her knuckles absentmindedly. "Then I came back and suggested to start a band with the boys, who by that time were my best and only friends. We were a garage band for a while until I wrote my first song, 'Let It Go' and submitted it to a potential manager, who is now Kai."

"It took you about four years to get started?" Anna said.

"Well, we needed sponsors before we got big. We played as an opening band for a while before 'Let It Go' got big." Elsa bent down and grabbed her towel, wiping off the sweat on her arms and face. "Then Kai decided it was time to make it a hit. We got Hans' family to sponsor us a year or so ago and then we released 'Let It Go' to the public. We just didn't realize it would be a big deal."

"So this is your first official tour," Anna said, nodding to herself. "You got quite the history, Elsa. I'm pleasantly surprised."

Elsa smirked. "Thanks, kiddo."

Anna was quiet for a moment as Elsa made her turn around so she could put her gloves back on. It was then Anna realized how awful she had been to Elsa about education. She had made several comments about how Elsa wasn't in school like Anna was and how she assumed Elsa was just a stereotypical drop-out. But Elsa was going after her passion of music because of the way it made her feel. Her reasoning for not going to college were something Anna could understand.

"Elsa, I'm sorry," Anna whispered as she turned back around at the punk's instruction.

"Sorry about what?" Elsa replied, hitching her gym bag over her shoulder.

"I… I didn't know you graduated high school. I assumed you dropped out," Anna said, her teal eyes falling onto the ground in shame. Elsa laughed, clapping a leather hand onto Anna's shoulder, steering the girl out with her into the cool Salem air.

"I'm actually much smarter than I let on. You know, I actually speak fluent French," Elsa informed her, her eyes glinting in the weak sunlight where the boys were waiting, fresh out of their sauna sessions.

"You do _not_ ," Anna said in disbelief. Elsa leaned close and pressed her cool lips against the shell of Anna's left ear, smirking against the skin. Goosebumps shot up Anna's arms and a shiver made its way up her back as Elsa hissed seductively in Anna's ear.

" _Oui je peux, mon amie_ (yes I can, my friend)," she breathed coolly.

Anna blushed and jumped back, staring wide eyed at a giggling Elsa.

"Why do I feel so violated?" Anna groaned, rubbing her ear. "You said something dirty, didn't you?"

"Oh, Anna, you really _do_ have preconceived notions about me," Elsa chuckled.

As they made their way back to the hotel, Elsa realized how much she had let out to Anna, revealing to her the past that seemed like a silly backstory in some fashion magazine. Yes, it was edited to the best of her ability, but she had said it to Anna with such comfortability. It scared Elsa… she had never told that much information about herself to anyone outside the band before.

But Anna wasn't judging her. At least, not out loud. However, whenever their eyes met on the way back, Anna would send her a thankful, supportive smile as if she were grateful she was able to hear so much about the mysterious punk.

Once they entered the hotel lobby, Anna finally spoke up, bumping her hips against Elsa's.

"You know, I had hoped hearing all that would have cleared a lot up for me. But you're even more of an enigma than ever," she commented.

"Maybe one day I'll make more sense to you," the blonde said, winking down at Anna.

"Perhaps… but I'm glad you told me."

"Hey, there's still a lot more about me you need to know. All in good time, kid."

"Like I've said before, I'm willing to earn my way chapter by chapter into that thick book titled Elsa."

"You really aren't gonna give up?"

"Nope!" Anna thought for half a second before speaking up again. "Hey—! What's your last name?"

"Ooh, that's one of those things that's locked up in a vault along with these babies." Elsa held up a gloved hand and wiggled her fingers in the air.

"Really? Your _last name_?"

"I'm like one of those icons out there with a single name— only I'm way better."

"Such a big ego for such a pretty face."

Elsa paused her stride towards the elevator doors and Anna froze, too, realizing what she had just said. The boys were oblivious, still chatting away about their concert that night. Anna fumbled over her words, trying to search for a proper explanation for her unintentional compliment.

The look on Elsa's face was one of flattery and astonishment, attempting to understand where Anna's comment had come from. Instead, she decided to take it with pride and walked over to Anna, pressing a kiss against the rambling girl's head, cutting her off.

"Why thank you, darling. You've just inflated it a little more," Elsa said against her skin.

"Ah… okay?" Anna whimpered.

"Where's that backbone?" Elsa teased, pulling away and heading back to the elevator. "Cat got your tongue?"

"No!" the roadie spluttered, glaring at Elsa. "You're still a big show off! So what that you're attractive!?"

"I'm attractive now?" Elsa laughed, the three boys halting their conversation and giving them strange looks.

"Screw you, you're making me awkward!" Anna spat, shoving her way by the punk to get into the elevator first.

"You said it, not me!" Elsa said defensively, stepping beside her.

"Did we miss something?" Sitron wondered as the doors slid shut behind him.

"Anna's in love with me," the lead singer teased.

"Gross! No way in hell would I ever want to date you!" Anna screeched, her face igniting.

"Awh, look, she's blushing!" Olaf chimed.

"You guys are the worst!" Anna moaned, running a hand over her face.

"I ship it!" Sitron roared suddenly. "Elsa and Anna for the win!"

Elsa started cracking up, concealing it behind a leather clad glove while Olaf met him halfway for a high-five, Marshmallow chuckling in the corner. Anna sighed in agony as Sitron started chanting, "Elsanna! Elsanna!" over and over again. As soon as the doors slid open on their floor, Anna stomped on the bassist's foot on her way out, shutting him up in an instant and making Elsa laugh even harder.

"I hate everyone right now," the redhead grumbled, slumping to her room while Dry Ice laughed up a storm behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos. You're support is greatly appreciated!


	10. Lean On Me

_The Place: Seattle, Washington_   
_The Date: June, 2014_   
_The Time: 9:26 AM_   
_The Weather: Cloudy_

The next stop of the tour was Seattle, a cloudy city in which Anna had been only once before. When Elsa told her that their next stop was to be in the Emerald City, Anna had been excited to get there. She had a few friends in the city and was hoping to see them before their four nights in the city were over.

So when the bus came to a full and complete stop behind the theatre where the concerts would take place, Anna burst through the doors before the band, pulling her jacket on in the process, to take a heavy whiff of the familiar scent of rain that always filled Seattle.

"I'm guessing you like Seattle," Elsa commented as she followed the rambunctious roadie outside.

"I came here to visit friends a while ago. I loved every second of it," Anna said, bouncing on the balls of her feet as the other band members walked out of the bus. "I might give them a call, hang out and all that fun stuff."

"Why not," Elsa agreed, giving her that toothy grin. "You deserve a little time off. You're nearing the end of the first month and I'm glad to say, I'm impressed, kiddo."

"Thanks," Anna said gleefully. "I'm gonna head to a Starbucks and get myself something. You guys want your usuals, right?" She started backing up, waiting for their affirmatives. Once she was given them, she turned on her heel and started to head off, her gloved hands deep in her jacket pockets.

"You're unusually chipper," Olaf said to Elsa as they made their way into the theatre. "What's with that? You never give roadies time off."

"Anna's just a kid, Olaf," Elsa said with a shrug. "And she's been good to us. I'd be more of a colossal bitch if I made her work all the time."

"Elsanna," Sitron hissed behind her, only to earn and elbow in the stomach. He doubled over and coughed but still managed a shaky, "Fuck you, Elsa."

"He's got a point though. I think you're being incredibly lenient with Anna because you like her," Marshmallow joined in.

"You guys are high," Elsa drawled, rolling her eyes. They entered the backstage area, Elsa scowling to herself. "So what? I told Anna a bit about myself and she paid me a compliment. Big whoop."

All three boys exchanged hopeless looks. Elsa was so deep in denial that a Jungle Cruise director could make several puns about her and the Nile River. Instead of continuing the teasing, Olaf bounded onto the empty stage and spread his arms, as if he were trying to embrace the seats.

"Hello, Seattle!" he shouted broadly. "I'm Olaf, and I like warm hugs!" He made several cheering sounds by exhaling, cupping his gloved hands over his mouth to get them to reach farther around him.

"And I'm Sitron and I'm cooler than Olaf!" Sitron said, jumping in and pushing Olaf out of the way.

Simultaneously, Elsa, Marshmallow, and Olaf all booed at him. The echoing theatre made their boos bounce back at them, making it sound as if there were more than three people booing the poor bassist.

"You guys suck," Sitron growled, grabbing his bass that Oaken had brought up from the bus. He started fingering the G-chord, the dull thumping of the instrument filling the room. "Can we please just start practicing before I shoot you guys?"

"With what? A needle?" Elsa teased, taking her place at the mic.

Olaf and Marshmallow roared with laughter as Sitron grunted incoherently under his breath.

"Okay, okay," Olaf gasped, wiping a tear from his eye, picking up his guitar. "Let's actually get serious about this now."

"Yeah," Marshmallow agreed, grabbing his drumsticks off one of the drums and sitting before his instrument. "Which set shall we start with, Els?"

"Let's take it from the top. I wanna try a few things," Elsa said, snapping her fingers as she counted them in.

* * *

 

"Yeah, we'd love to see you!" Meg said enthusiastically on the other line. "So glad you're in town!"

Anna pumped her fist, waiting in the warm exterior of the Starbucks for her coffee orders, grinning like a dork. Several eyes turned towards her in curiosity, wondering why this strange redheaded girl was dancing on the spot.

"Awesome! I'm so excited to see you guys," she said into the phone. "I still have my—" She dropped her voice to a whisper. "—fake ID so we can go to bars and stuff."

"Sounds great, red," Meg said, Anna hearing the smirk from over the phone. "See you at eight tonight at Jazzy's house."

"Can't wait," Anna sang. "See you soon!"

"Later."

Anna hung up the call just in time for her order to be placed on the bar for pick up. With a kind smile, she thanked the barista and headed into the cool Seattle air, ready to spend the evening with some of her friends.

She found the band on stage practicing their set for the next night, Elsa practically making love to the microphone, her hips swaying as if the crowd was already before her, chanting her name. Anna waited for the song to finish— trying to stare at anything other than Elsa's hips— before she walked on stage.

"Coffee break! Ready for America's best damn Starbucks?" Anna giggled, sitting on the platform that supported Marshmallow's drum set.

"Thanks, kid," Elsa said, taking her hot chocolate from her. "Even though I didn't actually get coffee but I'm sure I can sneak a sip from one of you."

"Don't get Sitron's. I'm sure it'll be disease ridden form one single sip," Olaf teased.

"You guys…" The bassist sighed, nursing his black coffee with a small scowl.

"Alright, let's lay off of him," Elsa said, raising a hand to call off any more jokes from Olaf. "He's had enough today."

"Is it customary to poke fun at him or something?" Anna asked, crossing her legs.

"No but sometimes we like to tease him," Marshmallow said, thumping Sitron on the back. "He's usually a good sport about it."

Sitron gave a crooked smile to Anna. "We pick on each other all the time but it can get to be a bit much from time to time."

"Yeah, like making too many jokes about the gloves," Elsa reminded them in a hiss.

The room seemed to become unnaturally colder to Anna, the three boys grinning guilty and burying their faces into their drinks. Elsa sat beside the roadie, taking a long swig of her drink.

"So, kid, what's the scoop on those friends of yours?" Elsa wondered, licking her lips unconsciously and distracting Anna for half a second.

"Uh…" Anna blinked for a second before fully registering the question. "We're going out for drinks tonight. Maybe go dancing. There's a string of bars on Capitol Hill— that's a street here— I visited a while back. It's gonna be awesome. It's been for, like, ever since we've all hung out at once."

"What made them come up north?" Marshmallow said conversationally.

"Well, Meg goes to college here, Jasmine's family moved, and Ariel's always lived here," Anna said with a small shrug. "Meg and Jasmine used to live in Arendelle until they came up here. Rapunzel and I visited them a while ago and met Ariel here when we did. Kept in contact after we left."

"In a nutshell, distant friends," Sitron summed up, his brows furrowing gently. "Yeah, I guess. The point is, I'll have some girl time tonight while you guys prep for tomorrow's concert," Anna said, smiling joyously at the bassist.

"Hm," Sitron mumbled over the rim of his cup before drinking deeply.

* * *

 

The rest of the day was spent with Dry Ice practicing their sets, occasionally getting into arguments with tech about the lighting cues or sound. Anna was running around backstage, ensuring that things were prepared for the concert the following night and helping Oaken out with moving equipment.

 _I can't be the only roadie for this band_ , Anna found herself thinking sometime that day. _Maybe Elsa should hire another one so I won't break my back hauling heavy stuff back and forth._

But as soon as six o'clock rolled around, she rushed back to the bus— the band trailing behind her, very amused with her bout of excitement— to change into some decent clothes that didn't have the band's style written all over it and ditched the leather gloves. She settled on one of her favorite olive green tops, a thin, black cardigan over it, a pair of faded jeans, and her black Doc Martens. Her hair remained down and she slipped her wallet into her pocket, ready to go out and meet her friends.

When Anna entered the main room, Elsa was in her bedroom struggling with lyrics no doubt, Olaf was hanging out in his bunk with his earbuds in, Marshmallow was in the booth reading a book, and Sitron was lounging on one of the couches.

"Alright, I'm off," Anna said, skipping to the door.

"Hey, Anna, wait," Sitron called after her as she exited the bus.

She paused and turned as he walked out after her, hand extended. She glanced down at it and then back up into his expectant face. Then she lifted an eyebrow, demanding an explanation. He rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck with his other hand. He seemed nervous about whatever it was he wanted, she noted. But he said it anyway, looking her in the eyes.

"Gimme your phone," he said.

"Why?" she asked tentatively.

"I need to do something."

Pursing her lips, Anna pulled her phone out from her pocket and handed it to him after punching in her passcode. He then went to her contacts and programmed his number into it— and took a ridiculous selfie of himself giving the rock-on sign— before handing it back over to her.

"If you need anything, I want you to call me at once," he said.

She stared at him, stunned at this sudden burst of chivalry from the otherwise sarcastic and inappropriate bassist. He shrugged and flushed lightly.

"Be careful out there, kid," he muttered, going back inside.

Anna pocketed her phone again and backed away slowly before fully turning on her heel and striding towards Jasmine's house, a slight bounce in her step.

When she arrived in front of a small roadhouse, rain had begun a soft pitter patter upon the many heads of Seattleites. Anna hugged her cardigan closer to her body, glaring up at the dark grey sky.

_Of course it rains, Anna thought bitterly. It's Seattle for Christ's sake… I just hope it lets up soon. We're walking everywhere._

"Anna!" a voice squealed as a bright red head leapt out of the front door. Anna found herself in a tight embrace, the breath leaving her lungs in an instant. "It's so good to see you! I missed you!"

"Hiya, Ariel," Anna croaked. "How are you?"

"I'm wonderful now that you're here!" Ariel giggled, stepping back and allowing the other ginger to breathe.

"It's good to see the two ginger kids interacting with their own kind," drawled a bored voice.

Anna glanced up to find Meg sauntering over to the pair, her hips swaying just as they always had. Although, Anna knew that her hips were absolutely no match for Elsa's. Not by a long shot.

But she would never admit it to herself. Let alone Elsa. The punk would never let Anna live that down.

"It's good to see you, too, Megara," Anna said, giving the Greek girl a tight hug. "Everyone misses you down in Arendelle."

"I'll be down there as soon as my college days are done," Meg said, patting Anna gently on the back.

"Ooh, it looks like we're all here," Jasmine said, appearing at Meg's side as if she had teleported there. "And it's raining… oh well. It'll let up later."

"C'mon, we have some catching up to do," Meg said, encircling Anna's shoulders with a friendly smile.

So the four of them walked in the drizzle towards Capitol Hill, entering a small, intimate bar and ordering a couple of drinks after flashing their IDs at the bartender. They picked out a booth together and huddled close, nursing their drinks as they started discussing their lives since they last saw Anna.

Meg was apparently getting into the business of entertainment, claiming that her comedic bits were some of the best her professor had ever seen. She was genuinely interested in becoming an actress, which Anna wasn't surprised to hear at all. Meg was always the sarcastic one of the group in high school, most often leaving her friends into fits of laughter after a simple comment about her boyfriend or a teacher or something of the sort.

She and Olaf shared that kind of hilarity. However, on one hand, Meg was snide while, on the other, Olaf was cheerful.

Jasmine was taking over her father's business in the future so she was studying up on becoming the CEO of his company. While she was a no-nonsense kind of girl, she had a simpleness to her personality. It was strong and something to be admired. So most of her classes were about business and money management.

"I've been trying to get Aladdin to study that, too," Jasmine said hopelessly, stirring her third drink of the evening. "He needs it."

Ariel had just celebrated her third year anniversary with her boyfriend Eric, who was supporting the ambitious girl as she looked into fashion design. She claimed she wanted to make a full line of mermaid-esque swimsuits and dresses that were boldly unique in every way, matching the preference of the specific customer.

"It's either that or I'd help my father out with cleaning the oil spills or becoming a marine biologist," she said perkily. "I have a lot of options."

"How's our little ol' red been doing?" Meg interjected, glancing lazily at the roadie before her.

"I'm alright. College break is treating me well. I've been traveling around to a lot of places," Anna said, her eyes lighting up.

"So that's why you turned up out of the blue," Jasmine concluded.

"Yeah. I'm only here for four nights though. Then we all have to get going to—"

"Wait," Ariel cut Anna off. "We? Who are the others?"

"Oh! Right, of course," Anna giggled. "I'm a roadie."

Meg stared before snorting into her fist. "A roadie? For what, some cheap opening band?"

"No. I'm a roadie for Dry Ice," Anna said indignantly.

The other three froze, blinking stupidly at her. They all exchanged looks before bursting into laughter, drawing a couple of curious glances and leaving Anna very confused. She scrunched her brows together, looking from girl to girl.

"What's so funny?" Anna demanded.

"You're traveling with Dry Ice?" Meg gasped. "That's rich!"

"Stop joking around, Anna," grinned Jasmine. "Really, what are you doing with your time?"

"I'm serious! I've been hanging out with them for at least a month!" Anna said.

The laughter died down as they realized that she wasn't joking. Meg folded her arms across her chest and leaned into the cushion of the booth.

"You can't be serious," she scoffed. "They're such hackers."

"Wha-?"

"Don't they have any other song _besides_ 'Let It Go?'" Jasmine added, shaking her head. "And that Elsa chick is way in over her head."

"They're not even that good," Ariel said critically. "My sisters' choir group is better than them."

"But… have you ever heard them live?" Anna asked weakly, fingering her glass with embarrassment and something else she couldn't quite figure out.

"Why bother? Their tickets are so expensive I need to sell several of my vital organs in order to cough up the dough," Meg droned, rolling her eyes.

"I hope they're not influencing you too much," Ariel warned.

"I hear that Olaf guy likes touching people… like _touching_ them."

"No, he doesn't!" Anna protested, her eyes shining. "He's a touchy, feely guy sure, but he only does that to his friends. He never goes any farther than hugs, honest!" She realized the more she said, the worse it sounded and her friends were giving her dubious looks. "And Elsa's not so bad. I mean, yeah, she can be a pretentious little shit I want to punch in the face every now and then but she's really sweet when she wants to be."

"Damn right she's pretentious," Jasmine imputed. "Those interviews… god, it's like she's begging for fans."

"'Be true to yourself,'" Meg recited, making her voice go raspy to mimic Elsa's voice. "I've heard that one before."

"And let's not forget Sitron," Ariel smirked. "He looks like he'd drug you as soon as he got the chance just for the hell of it."

"Marshmallow… now _that's_ a dumb name. Who wants to be called something like that on stage? I mean, really," Jasmine said, shaking her head. "And he's so big. How does he fit behind that drum set?"

Anna was getting so hurt from all these attacks on her newer friends. After seeing all the hype about the band, she had naïvely assumed that everyone in the country was underneath the Dry Ice spell. Assumed that Elsa was worshiped by every girl and boy who had a strong fantasy for her to be in their bed with them. Assumed that everyone adored Olaf and his goofy smile. Assumed that Sitron was that lovable tramp of the band. And assumed that Marshmallow was that quiet giant everyone wanted to get to know.

But this was the first round of hate she had ever experienced. Even her first resentment was beaten down by listening to their music and then it was further melted away when she actually started hanging out with them, getting to know them. Yes, there were a few things… quite a few things she didn't know but it was still early on. The first month was almost over and there was still so much time left.

They were just regular young adults who were ready to take on the music world around them, eyes bright and hopeful for a long and successful career.

"I'd quit if I were you," Meg finalized, pulling Anna out of her thoughts. "I don't want to read that you OD'd in some bathtub."

"That's not funny," Anna said quietly. "They don't do stuff like that."

"Wow, that's not really punk," muttered Ariel.

"You don't have to do that to be punk," Anna shot back. "And now what? They're not punk enough? They're not making enough bad decisions?"

"Pick a road and go," Meg said with an indifferent shrug, downing her fourth drink. "Just get out of there while you can."

Anna didn't say anything further and simply guzzled down her third drink before moving onto her fourth, glaring into the contents of her glass and waiting for this night to be over. It had gone from good to bad in the blink of an eye. She didn't like the sour opinions of Dry Ice at all.

It felt as if someone were criticizing her family. Making fun of people she cared deeply for. They were making all sorts of awful comments that made Anna wish she had never come out with them in the first place.

So she decided to drown away her bad mood, taking impressive gulps of her fourth, fifth, and sixth drink in stride. The world began to become slightly fuzzy around the edges of her vision, everything gaining a sort of glow to it, the alcohol working its way into her system, her body absorbing every last bit of it.

She didn't even realize her friends had left her at the booth thirty minutes ago after they paid for the redhead, telling her to comeback anytime whenever she left Dry Ice in the dust, hoping she was going to make the "right decision."

Tired and wanting to get back to the bus, Anna stumbled out of the bar, clutching her cardigan to her figure as rain started to tumble down harder than earlier that evening. Her hair was sticking to her face as she struggled to find her way back to the bus.

 _I… I need_ , she thought messily, shaking her head and trying to gain a sense of intellectual thinking.

She shakily reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone, remembering something suddenly. She found the name she was looking for and pressed it, bringing it up to her ear and leaning on a building, rain hitting her clothes and soaking them.

"Hello?"

"S-Sitron," Anna hiccuped. "I… I want ta come home."

"Where are you?"

"Dunno… somewhere… Capitol Hill?"

"I'll be there as soon as I can. Hang in there, Anna."

"…Kay…"

Anna hung up the call and slid to the wet pavement ground, staring blankly into the dark grey sky, rain hitting her in her freckled face. She had no idea how long it had been since she called the bassist but she was sure she had been drifting in and out of a drunken slumber, trying to remain awake until he came and got her.

Just then there were two hands on her shoulders that startled her awake. When she opened her eyes, she discovered the concerned, carmel brown eyes of Sitron staring back at her.

"Hey, kid," he said softly.

"You showed up," she slurred, as if she was surprised to see him there.

"Of course I did," he cooed, helping her to her feet. "Let's get you outta this rain." He draped his jacket over her shoulders and pulled the hood up to protect her hair— in spite of its dampened state. "C'mon, Anna."

The roadie snuggled up to him as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, shielding her from the evils of the world. Slowly but surely, they made their way back to the bus, Anna stumbling over her feet and babbling out drunken statements, Sitron nodding and responding with kind "uh-huhs" whenever she paused.

When Sitron helped her into the main room of the bus, Anna found herself in a tight and worried embrace by Elsa, which was a shock to all three boys, who didn't seem to care in the slightest that the ginger was soaked to the bone.

"Anna, thank god!" Elsa cried. "You had me worried sick! When you called Sitron and… and he had to run and get you. I couldn't catch him in time when Olaf told me what had happened. Oh, I would have gone after you myself— did anything… Anna? What's—?" Elsa pulled back to examine her friend's face, finding— to both her amusement and horror— that Anna was drunker than a sailor. "My god, you're… _wasted_."

"Yup!" Anna chirped, grinning stupidly up at Elsa, shedding the jacket Sitron had supplied her.

"Well… uh, I'm glad you're safe," Elsa said awkwardly, running a hand through her platinum locks and trying not to laugh at the intoxicated roadie. "You look exhausted… and like you're drowning in those clothes."

"I'll be _fine_ ," Anna insisted, swaying on the spot. "Elza, guess what?"

"What?" Elsa responded, inclining her head to Olaf as he made a waving gesture to gain her attention.

"I think you're sooooo super, duper cool," Anna giggled, leaning forward and burying her head in Elsa's shoulder.

'Get her fresh clothes?' Olaf mouthed, pointing to Anna's bedroom.

Elsa nodded, patting Anna's wet back gently as Olaf rose to his feet and strode into the roadie's room.

"Hey, kid, Olaf's gonna get you some clean clothes. Can you change yourself in the bathroom?" Elsa asked.

"Naw, I can do it in here!" Anna said gleefully, tugging at Elsa's braid.

"We'll close our eyes, Elsa," Sitron said, Olaf returning with a clean set of pajamas for Anna. "She's clearly not in any state to be… rational."

Olaf handed them to her, giving her a smile. "Get warm, kiddo," he instructed.

"Th-thanks, buddy," Anna grinned, already peeling off her cardigan and shirt.

The three boys respectfully turned their backs to Anna and Elsa as the rockstar attempted to assist her friend. But Anna was stubborn and only tossed her discarded clothes into her arms. Elsa rolled her eyes and watched carefully as Anna tried to reach around to unlatch her bra.

 _Oh god_ , Elsa thought, grimacing and squeezing her eyes shut as the roadie finally unclasped the snaps.

"Ha! Success!" she cheered, shoving the shirt over her head. "Are there undies?"

"Yeah," Olaf affirmed, cracking his neck, still facing away from her.

 _Don't open your eyes, don't open your eyes_ , Elsa kept repeating to herself as the thunk of the Docs being removed and the sound of the jeans hitting the ground filled the space around her. _Don't be an inconsiderate fuck for once in your life_.

Anna didn't even seem to care she was half naked as she tugged on her new pair of underpants and sleeping pants. She had never felt more comfortable in her life. And as soon as she finished, she scooped the wet clothes from the ground and shoved them into Elsa's arms. Elsa opened her eyes and was thankful to see Anna fully dressed but still incredibly drunk.

"Thanks, Elza," Anna mewled. She reached out and cupped Elsa around her neck, the punk's breathing hitching, and gave the punk a kiss on the cheek. The action thoroughly shocked the poor blonde into silence. "I'm…" The roadie let loose a huge yawn and started rubbing her eyes. "Exhausted."

"Get some sleep," Elsa urged her, trying to remain calm. "I'll hang up your clothes, alright?"

"Mhmmm," Anna groaned, pushing by the other band member to reach her tiny sanctuary. But she paused at the open doorway and turned to them, her eyes big and almost watery, striking pain in their hearts, as if they were watching a puppy being abandoned. "I just wish I had a sloth to cuddle with."

And with that, Anna entered her bedroom and shut the door behind her. Elsa pursed her lips and entered the bathroom, hanging up the wet clothes to dry in the shower. There was a long silence as she reentered the main room before Sitron broke it.

" _What_?" he said, turning to Elsa with a dubious expression on his face.

"You heard the inebriated imbecile," Elsa said, shaking her head, zipping up her black jacket, and rolling down the sleeves. "Let's go get a sloth."

" _What_?" Olaf and Sitron said in unison. "Oh, c'mon," Elsa said, waving them over. "She's too damn drunk to think straight. Let's just get her a damned stuffed sloth so she can wake up without thinking that everything was a mistake."

Marshmallow hummed pleasantly and followed Elsa out of the bus, buttoning up his leather jacket as he went. Olaf and Sitron exchanged looks of disbelief before grabbing their own jackets out of their drawers and rushing after the pair.

* * *

 

The search for a sloth stuffed toy led them to a 24/7 CVS, Elsa scouring the numerous animalistic playthings that overflowed in the stacks. She really couldn't believe she was looking for a _sloth_ in the middle of the night just because a drunk Anna made a comment about one.

But there she was.

Olaf and Sitron were busy looking at candies, far too distracted by their desires to please their sweet cravings and Marshmallow was checking the price on a new shampoo. Elsa bit her lip in frustration until her eyes landed on the cutest looking sloth, sticking out amongst the bears, dogs, and cats that surrounded it.

"You," Elsa breathed, reaching out and grabbing it by the stomach, only to hear it make the sweetest little noise she had ever heard. "Oh my god, you make those fucking baby sloth noises from that YouTube video."

"Find one?" Olaf asked cheerfully, a bar of Snickers in his hand, bounding over to the lead singer.

"Yup. What do you think?" Elsa said, presenting it to him.

"It's great!" he gushed. "Let's get it and go. Oaken texted me telling us that Anna's starting to mumble in her sleep. He's worried for her."

"Tell him we'll be there as soon as we can," Elsa said, heading up to the counter. "I've got to hand it to Sitron… that was really nice… humane of him to give Anna his number." Her eyes became downcast. "I can't believe I've known the kid for this long and I haven't given her my cell number."

"Hey, we've been busy," he said softly. "It was the furthest thing from our minds. We'll give her our numbers tomorrow morning. We're just lucky Sitron thought ahead. God only knows what coulda happened to Anna if she didn't have his number."

"I don't _want_ to know," she grunted, standing in line behind some late-night workers picking up some final things on their way home.

Sitron approached them with a bottle of Seven-Up, yawning and stretching his arms behind his back.

"It's been a crazy night, yeah?" he grinned.

"Sitron, I know we can give you a lot of shit sometimes but…" Elsa looked him dead in the eyes. "You really are a loyal friend. Even to someone you've only known for a month… My respect for you went up ten thousand percent."

"That depends on where it was before," Sitron quipped, winking at her. Then he shrugged. "Awh, I was just making sure Anna and a way home."

"You cared for her enough to do that," Elsa said. "And you did it before any of us did."

Marshmallow lumbered over to join the conversation, sorrow in his big eyes.

"I could have given her my number so many times," he blubbered.

"It's okay, big guy!" Olaf said, alarmed at the fat tears that rolled down his little brother's cheeks. He patted Marshmallow on the arm soothingly, giving him a big, cheesy grin. "Anna's safe thanks to Sitron."

"He's a hero," Elsa said, smiling at the bassist.

"You're knocking this completely out of proportion," Sitron insisted. "Elsa, you're up." He nodded to a free cash register and Elsa went forth to pay for the stuffed sloth toy for the roadie.

With their purchases made and their items in bags, they returned to their tour bus to find Oaken nestled in his drivers seat, reading a book. He informed them that Anna had yet to wake up and was in a deep slumber in her room.

While the boys retreated to their bunks, Elsa entered Anna's bedroom with the sloth. The little redhead was in a tangle of her blankets, hair sprawled about in all different directions, her chest rising and falling with each deep breath she took. With an endearing sigh, Elsa rested the sloth on top of Anna's chest, only to have the ginger wrap her arms around the toy— the said item making several baby sloth noises— and turned in her slumber, snoozing evermore and smiling into the fuzziness of the sloth.

"Dork," Elsa muttered, smirking and leaving the room, closing the door with a gentle click.

* * *

 

Light hit her square in the face the next morning, waking her up and forcing a headache to spread from the back of her head to the front. Anna groaned and scrunched her eyes shut, wanting to shut the curtains and sleep for the rest of her life.

But once she jostled around in the bed, her stomach landed on a knot of some sort, catching her attention. Slowly— trying not to anger her aching brain— Anna sat up to reveal the cutest little sloth she had ever laid eyes on.

She made a noise that was a twist of delight and bewilderment. She absolutely adored sloths. They were her favorite animal in the known universe, always visiting the sloth exhibit at the zoo whenever she visited with Rapunzel. She lifted it up and applied some pressure onto it to test its softness.

And once that little sloth noise escaped, Anna let out a cry and hugged the thing to her chest.

"How in the world did you get here?" Anna asked it sweetly, as if it could respond to her question.

She heard hushed voices coming from the front room and wondered if they knew anything of the sloth's appearance. After all, she could hardly recall what had happened to her after she left the bar last night. It was all a big blur and she hoped everything was okay.

After forcing her hair into their old twin braids, she crept out of her room to find the entire band lounging around the room, talking quietly and finishing off their breakfasts.

"G'morning," Anna grumbled as she slugged over to sit next to Elsa in the booth.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," Elsa teased. "How's the hang over."

"I… ng… dammit," Anna sighed, rubbing her eye. "What happened?"

"Well, all we know is that you got wasted, called Sitron, and he went and got you," Olaf said.

"He… he did?" Anna said, her eyes falling on the bassist, who was sitting across from her.

"No big deal," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"He was a good guy last night," Marshmallow praised.

"And you were very entertaining," Elsa grinned. "But…" Her gaze softened. "I was worried about you. I was relieved when you came back." She reached over and gave Anna's hand a squeeze with her gloved one.

"We were all worried," Olaf added.

Anna was both embarrassed and grateful, feeling her cheeks warm up with affection for each and every one of those around her. They had taken care of her last night, no doubt about it and weren't making it a humongous display.

"The sloth?" Anna questioned, lifting the toy from her lap with a cocked eyebrow.

"Oh, you wanted to cuddle with one so Elsa dragged us to a CVS to get one for you!" Sitron laughed, earning a hard kick from Elsa beneath the table.

"You got him for me?" Anna breathed.

Elsa shrugged and buried her face into the dollop of whipped cream topping her hot chocolate.

"She was just as much as a hero as Sitron was," Marshmallow chuckled.

"Oh, hey!" Olaf shouted suddenly, causing Anna to wince and whimper— her hangover slowly leaving her system. "Wait here!"

Olaf leapt from the couch and ran into Anna's room, returning with her phone and handing it over to her, asking for the code. Once Anna hesitantly punched it in, Olaf started to program his number into it like Sitron had done, taking a dumb selfie of himself to complete it. He tossed it to Marshmallow who did the same thing. Then Elsa was next, taking a selfie of both she and Anna before finishing it up and handing it over to the roadie.

"Now you have four friends to call if you're ever in a jam," Elsa chirped.

Anna stared down at the phone screen until it went dark. The others watched her, waiting to see her reaction.

But what they didn't expect was for Anna to start crying. Alarmed, Elsa reached out to her but Anna launched herself into the punk's arms, embracing her with more affection than Elsa had given to her when she came back from the bar. Elsa froze, unsure of how to handle a weeping roadie. She patted Anna's back awkwardly as she started to blubber out her emotions.

"I-I-I never knew how m-much you guys cared," Anna choked. "I h-had just assumed you would g-give me a hard time in the morning b-b-but you did the exact opposite." She clutched the fabric of Elsa's shirt, the rockstar gaping and flushing against her will. "It's so nice t-to have friends who w-would make sure I'm s-safe from harm." She sniffled and pulled away, wiping underneath her eyes. "Thank you, Elsa. Thank you, everyone."

"You're very welcome, Anna!" Olaf beamed.

"You're our precious roadie," Sitron smirked. "We gotta take care of you."

"We wouldn't be able to stand it if you got hurt," Marshmallow said quietly.

"You… ah…" Elsa swallowed and gave Anna a crooked smile. "You're part of our family now."

Anna returned a watery smile to the punk before settling deeper into the booth, toying with the sloth.

"So, I have to know," Elsa said, "what caused you to drink so much?"

Anna bit her lip. "Have you… ever experienced hate towards Dry Ice?"

"All the time," Olaf said, giggling.

"It happens to us a lot," Elsa nodded.

"So… you're not… you just shrug it off?" Anna concluded.

"Basically. Do you think everyone in the world likes… pfft, I dunno… One Direction?" Sitron said.

"You're comparing us to One Direction?" Elsa said but Sitron ignored her.

"Sure, they have tons of fans but there will always be some asshole group of people who hate them for no reason," Sitron continued. "It happens to the best of us."

"Why?" Marshmallow wondered.

"Well, my friends were telling me to quit because you guys were a bad influence on me and are just a terrible band in general. I got really upset about it to I drank my feelings away," Anna admitted. "But after last night, I can see you guys would never let anything hurt me."

"Of course not," Sitron defended.

"And those girls… they just up and left you like that?" Elsa asked, thoroughly astonished and disgusted.

Anna nodded. "They're nice but, I dunno. All my life I've been seen as this naïve, clumsy little girl by everyone around me. They treated me as if going with you guys was the dumbest decision to ever make… And people do that to me too often. They assume I'm stupid because I tend to act before I think and put others before me. I guess I put up some walls and developed this backbone I never knew I had because I didn't want to get hurt anymore. I wanted to show people that I was tough, too…" She gazed up at Elsa. "You and I have a lot in common that way, huh?"

Elsa blinked twice before giving her an understanding smile, nodding lightly. Anna sighed and leaned on the tabletop, sniffling again.

"So it hurt when they laughed at me… I know they had the best intentions with me about my safety but you proved so much in one night without even thinking. You're more loyal and kind than you let on." She glanced up at each face, staring at her with a mix of awe and affection. "Well, anyway, I'm not gonna be leaving you guys anytime soon," she said confidently. "I can't wait to finish this month up with you and head into another two!"

"Looking forward to getting annoyed by you for the rest of that time," Elsa laughed, mussing up Anna's bangs.

"Have you picked out a name for the sloth yet?" Olaf said excitedly.

The ginger stared down at the sloth and thought hard, trying to come up with a name for her newest friend. It suddenly clicked and she grinned.

"You know, I have the perfect name for him," Anna said, lifting him up and propping him on the table. "Mose."

"Mose?" Elsa repeated, squinting.

"It's an acronym!" Anna explained. "M for Marshmallow, O for Olaf, S for Sitron, and E for Elsa!"

"I'm _last_ ," Elsa scoffed.

"Best for last," Anna said under her breath, winking giddily at Elsa.

Elsa became flustered but hid it well, smirking instead of gawking like a moron at the roadie.

"It's a great name," Elsa agreed, patting the sloth on the head. "Hello, Mose. Welcome to the Dry Ice family."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave comments and kudos! I greatly appreciate the support.


	11. Message In A Bottle

Her fingers were surely getting carpal tunnel as she scoured through the internet late at night. She was snuggled inside her bed on the bus, the wheels bumping along the road, her laptop illuminating her face. Her dashboard proved to be very dull after tens of thousands of times refreshing it and her Facebook was unpleasant with messages from Meg, Jasmine, and Ariel apologizing for leaving her at the bar. They even claimed that Anna had demanded them to leave her alone in spite of their efforts to return her to the bus but Anna's memory had been wiped by that point. After her fourth drink, the world had gotten a bit fuzzy and she wasn't so sure what had happened between her and the girls… and had nothing to back herself up.

Instead, Anna had sent them very angry responses, explaining herself and how she was smart enough to make her own choices but they didn't seem to get the big idea of it all. So she decided to close out of FarmVille and do some serious research.

About Elsa.

Like she had told the punk, Elsa was even more of an enigma after she divulged a watered down version of her life's story. And those damned gloves were driving her insane. There _had_ to be something more to them than just a part of the show. Elsa was clearly hiding something… something much deeper than she let on.

So Anna was looking through several interviews on YouTube, online magazines, and even the god-awful TMZ bullshit that the media crams down everyone's throats. Once or twice, she accidentally stumbled across some very risqué pictures of Elsa on the cover of Seventeen and Cosmo that made the redhead so flustered she had to distract herself with other things.

It was also driving her insane that Elsa was getting under her skin in an entirely different way. She didn't _want_ this attraction to Elsa whatsoever and was determined to never seek out those festering thoughts of what the blonde's lips felt like on hers—

 _Fuck, knock it off_ , Anna scolded herself. _Focus on the gloves…_

In spite of those pictures being very appealing, Anna couldn't help but to notice the fact that her gloves were still glued to her hands. Every interview had at least one question about the leather homing her hands but Elsa gave such a vague answer that it was frustrating the roadie. It would always go something like this—

_Interviewer: Elsa, it seems to be very popular amongst your fans to wear those fingerless gloves you're never seen without. What's the scoop on the gloves?_

_Elsa: Ah, well if I disclosed that information then the entire show would be ruined._

_Interviewer: How so?_

_Elsa: It gives a sense of mystery, doesn't it?_

And that's where she ended to discussion.

Mystery indeed! Anna was seriously getting more and more curious by the day. Now that Elsa had mentioned Anna was part of the Dry Ice family, she expected a few more secrets were going to be revealed.

But she was wrong.

She _still_ wasn't allowed to call Elsa "Els." And that was just so stupid in Anna's opinion.

The next stop was supposed to be in Helena, Montana but a few scheduling problems made it impossible for Dry Ice to perform, even for one night. Elsa and Kai had a humungous fight over the phone about it and Elsa was nearly brought to tears when she was told those concerts had been canceled until Anna managed to calm her down by making hot chocolate from hot water and a packet. All they could do now was slip through Montana and Wyoming before they reached Denver, where their next set of shows would take place.

So the trip was going to be unusually longer then Anna was used to.

As she continued to tear through the internet for any hint on what Elsa was hiding beneath the gloves— Mose snuggled up to her chest— there was a knock on her door.

In a flash, Anna slammed her laptop shut and whacked her head on the shelf above her bed as she sat up. The groan was taken as an okay to enter and Elsa opened the door, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"What's going on in here?" she asked, amused at the grunting and swearing ginger. "You looking at porn?"

"What!? No!" Anna flushed, glaring at Elsa. "What do you want? I thought you guys went to bed."

"I wanted to give you this before I forgot," Elsa said, giggling and walking over and turning on the lamp on Anna's bedside table, burning Anna's eyes out of her sockets at the sudden burst of light.

"Gimme what?" Anna groaned, rubbing the forming bump on her head.

Elsa stuck out her hand to reveal a paycheck with her signature on it, issued to Anna for about one-thousand-six-hundred dollars. Anna gaped down at it and back up at the punk, flabbergasted that she was getting paid this much for just sitting around and hauling things around backstage.

"That… what… wow," Anna spluttered, weakly taking the paper from Elsa.

"End of the month, dork," Elsa grinned. "You've earned that."

"I can't believe it," Anna breathed. "Thank you!"

With a wink, Elsa wished her a goodnight and closed the door behind her. Anna continued to gawk at her paycheck. That job, truly, was more generous than she had imagined. She tucked it away in the top drawer with her chargers and things before reopening her laptop to return to her Elsa research.

 _There has to be something. It could either be really simple or really complicated… or maybe Elsa's being really theatrical… maybe even, I dunno, melodramatic. I wouldn't put it past her to make a big deal out of nothing after all._ Anna chewed on her thumb as she thought, using her other hand to scroll through an interview with some magazine she had never heard of before. _God, she's such a walls-up kind of girl. If they weren't such a big deal, then she'd take them off every now and again._

When things seemed to come to a stand-still, Anna decided it was time for her and Mose to get to bed. So she shut off her computer and tucked it back in its case before sliding deeper underneath her blankets, clutching the sloth to her chest. The light that shined from the slit beneath her door went out, all the boys and Elsa going to bed finally. But the bus still chugged along, occasionally hitting a bump or making a turn, the movement only lulling Anna to sleep.

* * *

 

"I'm getting so fed up with it," Anna said during a pitstop somewhere by the border of Montana and Wyoming. "She has to tell me _some_ time."

"Give her time, Anna," Olaf said, pushing the shopping cart alongside Anna. "She'll tell you if and when she's ready."

The pair of them were in a small market, stocking up on food and supplies for the band. The list Marshmallow made for Anna was in her hand as she searched through the shelves for the preferred Ramen that Sitron liked.

"It's clearly something important," Anna huffed.

"I told you, kid, it's not my place to say," he said, reaching over for a few cans of soup.

"Why do you wear them?" she demanded as she tossed the noodles into the basket.

"'Cause Elsa does," he reminded her.

They continued down the isles, Anna's teal eyes scanning the produce around her. They took a turn into the frozen section and went to work on filling the cart with pizzas, instant meals, and ice cream.

"I would seriously let it go— no pun intended. If you keep pushing it, then Elsa's never gonna reveal it to you," Olaf said wisely.

"You're probably right," Anna hummed. "Thanks for letting me vent, Olaf."

"Hey, it's no problem. I'm sure it's frustrating now knowing." He patted her on the back kindly with his own gloved hand. "All in good time, Elsa will finally come around. But believe me, she's never been more, ah, loose around someone like this before."

"Oh, don't give me that 'you're changing her' spiel," Anna scoffed, the two heading over to the check out lines. "That's sappy, fan fiction-esque bullshit."

"What if it's true?"

"So what if it is!?" Anna threw her arms up in exasperation. "I can't call her _Els_. Why? Ooh, 'cause we're not friend-friends." She waved her hands around and rolled her eyes heavily. "That's ridiculous! I mean, if anything, I should at least give her a more creative nickname rather than 'punk' or whatever."

Olaf's mouth twitched upwards but he allowed her to continue ranting. She ranted about how Elsa was pretentious, ranted about how she hated it when Elsa was overly flirtatious, and ranted about how she couldn't believe herself when she allowed Elsa to persuade her to get a piercing.

"But in the end," Anna sighed, stacking the food on the conveyer belt, "she's part of this little makeshift family and I can't stay mad at her."

"Under the spell of Elsa," Olaf teased.

Anna colored. "I am not!"

"You are so! Anna, you're swearing more often than usual," he pointed out. "And you're obsessing over the gloves, which are a part of Elsa. By the power of deduction, you're obsessing over Elsa."

"Olaf!" Anna shrieked, her face a violent shade of red and gathering the attention of several people. "Knock it off!"

He was giggling, biting down on his lip to keep himself from bursting out into laughter. Anna merely pouted, folding her arms across her chest, approaching the cashier with the money Elsa gave her specifically for groceries.

* * *

 

They arrived in Denver early the next morning, Anna curled up in a ball on her bed when Elsa banged on her door to wake her up. Blinking away the sleep, Anna sat up and rubbed her tired, teal eyes before stretching widely and yawning.

She changed into some comfortable clothes she deemed worthy enough to be seen in as she hauled around equipment before she exited her room to tend to her hair and teeth in the bathroom. When she got out, the band was already gone but Oaken was patiently waiting for Anna, smiling warmly at her.

"Hoo-hoo! Good morning, Anna," he greeted.

"Mm… g'morning, Oaken," Anna yawned, waving at him. "What's the schedule for today?"

"Elsa would like you to run into town and pick up some coffee," he said. "Then return here to help me with the backstage clean-up. Apparently, the last band wasn't very courteous during their stay."

"Sounds good," Anna nodded. "I'll see you in thirty minutes to an hour."

"Be safe!" he said as she passed him to exit the bus and head into town.

Anna dug her gloved hands into her pockets, her Docs hitting the sidewalk with dull thuds as she went on her way. Her eyes will still attempting to glue themselves shut, sleep heavy on her shoulders regardless of how hard she had slept the night before. She hated that feeling of sleeping well but being tired anyway.

What was the point?

She found a Starbucks nearby and slipped inside, putting in the orders for her and the band.

It was the same old story, same old routine. And Anna was getting so weary of it all. She secretly wished something would happen to make things a little more interesting… something to pull her out of a rut she was stuck in for a month.

But that night, Anna regretted she had ever made that wish.

* * *

 

The concert was going on well from where Anna was standing side stage right, going over the show's cues in her head as she watched Elsa make the stage her bitch, thrusting those hips every which way. Anna, try as she might, couldn't stop staring.

And she hated it.

"Fuck," she grunted, sinking into a chair and crossing her legs. She closed her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, trying to listen to only the music.

Dry Ice was performing a cover of "Black Sheep" by Metric, Anna only knowing the song from a movie adapted by one of her favorite graphic novels. She found herself paying attention to one specific instrument: Olaf's guitar. For some reason, she was able to pick it out the best amongst the thunking of Sitron's bass, the pounding beat of Marshmallow's drums, Elsa's scrumptious voice, and the hoots and hollers of the crowd. She cracked one eye open, zeroing in on the guitarist, who was closest to her from where she was sitting.

His gloves hands were flying across the chords, his head banging to the music just enough to show how absorbed he was with his music. How in sync he was with the rest of the band, yet it also appeared as if he were off in his own world.

Anna smiled at him, unbeknownst to him, and cheered him on by shouting, "Olaf! Olaf!" only for it to be lost in the sea of Elsa's name and drowned out by the song. The backstage screw didn't notice the lone roadie, clapping along with the beat, beaming in respect for her friend. But it seemed like he heard Anna's voice somehow in the buzz of all the chaos and his smile got more cartoonish, slaying the axe with a harsh move of his fingers, the sound slicing through the air in such a way that the very air practically vibrated.

It was sort of sad, she mused, that Elsa got all the attention. There were important people with her on that stage. Her ego would be her downfall one day… Anna just hoped she would never have to see that day.

When the end of the song reverberated around the stadium, everyone screamed and shouted. Elsa called their attention and sat on one of the larger amps, crossing her legs and addressing them, her lips brushing the microphone and her voice pulling them into her spell.

Anna avoided such hypnotic actions by busying herself with a time chart that really meant absolutely nothing.

"Hello, Denver, it's so great to be here with all of you," Elsa cooed.

"I love you, Elsa!" a female voice screamed from the crowd.

Elsa's smirk grew. "And I love you, sweetheart."

Another scream followed and then silence, Anna pretty sure that girl had just fainted. The rockstar didn't seemed conceded as she continued to have a one-sided conversation with her fans.

"I visited Denver a while back… It was snowing then," she recalled, earning a few whoops. "Oh man, those were still my _roadie_ days. Can you all see me as a roadie, my dears?"

There was a collective sound of laughter, the three boys chuckling in the background. Anna felt a small connection with Elsa, liking the fact she and the punk shared an occupation at one point. Maybe that's why Elsa was giving her such an easy time for the most part.

"By the end of this tour, we'll be in New York. It's crazy to think that we've gotten this far. Of course, it's all thanks to you," she said, making a graceful swooping gesture with her hand across the audience to make her point. They all cheered, happy to help their goddess with her success.

But their celebration was cut short when a bottle was thrown out of the pit and soared at Elsa's head. Olaf had seen it coming in the nick of time, for he had ripped off his guitar and rushed to her, tackling her out of the way. The bottle shattered on the taller amp Elsa had been leaning her back against, drawing absolute silence in the audience.

Sitron and Marshmallow abandoned their instruments and Anna ran on stage, Oaken hot at her heels.

"Are you okay?" they all asked her in unison, ignoring the uproar in the crowd as the loyal fans of Dry Ice searched for the bottle thrower.

"I'm fine," Elsa grumbled, Olaf helping her to her feet. "Thanks for the save, buddy."

"Hey, no problem," he said, mustering a grin.

Security began to flood the passageways and block the exits.

"Who the hell threw that?" Anna wondered, glaring into the crowd.

"I don't know," Sitron growled, clenching his fists. "But I'll fucking find out."

"Wait," Elsa warned, throwing an arm out to keep the bassist from charging into the pit— most likely to be attacked by fans rather than bottle throwers. "Let security handle this. The show must go on… no matter what."

"Don't give me that Queen bullshit," Sitron snapped. "If someone threw a bottle at Freddie Mercury, I'm pretty sure there'd be police officers swarming the place immediately."

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm _not_ Freddie Mercury," Elsa said, rolling her eyes. "And I bet you he'd keep singing just the same unless the bottle smacked him in the head!"

"Alright, alright!" Anna said, calling them to peace, spreading her hands calmly.

The crowd was still rumbling, a few people trying to push their way around in an attempt to find the attacker. No one was paying much attention to what was happening on stage.

"Look, security _will_ handle it," Anna assured, trying to smooth over the situation. "Oaken, can you get out there and try to subdue the asshole?"

"I'll do my best," he said before rushing off to assist the rest of the guards.

"Now, you four get back to your stations," Anna commanded, the band staring at her in serious respect for once. "Elsa, try to get the crowd to remain silent and still. The rest of you keep a keen eye on the pit. He can't have left yet. Got it?"

They all nodded in unison.

"Great, I'll try to sneak into the pit and see if I can't do anything."

And with that, Anna took off and slipped down the side stairs into the pit, flashing her ID at the security guard who prevented rabid fans from performing stage dives, getting too close to Elsa, or climbing on stage and claiming the title of first-class attention whore. He let her go through and Anna easily blended into the crowd of Dry Ice fanatics who were lucky enough to get pit access.

"Everyone, please!" Elsa said into the mic, her voice suddenly cold and commanding, as if she were an actual queen ruling over a kingdom. "I ask for your silence…"

And everyone shut their mouths, freezing underneath the gaze of the punk. They were staring at her in anticipation, Elsa's eyes following Anna as she slipped around the fans with ease, nobody paying her the slightest attention.

"It would appear, someone is trying to get under my skin," Elsa said

Anna nearly snorted. _That's one way to put it. And here I thought my friends were jackasses. At least they have the sense not to throw a glass bottle at her_.

"But, my loves, that will not happen," Elsa said firmly, standing her ground. The air seemed to cackle with a chilly wind, her combat boots planted firmly on the stage. "Whoever you are, I'm sorry to say nobody else here is willing to follow your movement… and boy, you're in trouble." Her smile turned so malicious, a shiver passed through every single audience member.

There was movement in the row behind Anna and she quickened her pace in the thick crowd, shoving by everyone and ignoring their protests. Elsa saw her struggle and waved her hand lazily.

"If you wouldn't mind, darlings, my good friend Anna is trying to capture our bottle thrower," Elsa said. "Please give her space."

As if Elsa possessed the force, everyone gravitated away from the redhead, giving her room to pursue the idiot who _dared_ to throw a bottle at Anna's friend. With a strength she didn't know she possessed, Anna made a lunge for him as he tried to get away. She grabbed him around the waist and they both went crashing to the cool grass of the stadium beneath them, the horse head of the Denver Broncos playing as the arena for their scuffle.

The man was swearing in an accent Anna didn't quite grasp at that given time, sending his fists flying behind him in order to harm her. He was attempting to throw her off but she held on tight. There were four shouts in the growing noise, all recognizable to Anna as the concerned cries of her friends on stage. All at once, the Dry Ice fans screeched and assisted Anna in maintaining him. It was then that Anna truly appreciated their dedication to the band.

Oaken came bolting out of nowhere, ripping him away from Anna and lifting him high into the air with his fist, his usually kind eyes glowing with a protective fury. Anna glanced at the stage to find Elsa, Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow containing themselves from jumping into the pit, their eyes also burning with hatred at the man for trying to hurt her. If it hadn't been for the kindness they had showed her that night in Seattle, Anna would have been shocked.

Instead, she gave them and reassuring smile and followed Oaken backstage, the burly man slinging the attacker over his shoulder like a rag doll.

Out of respect, the crowd applauded Anna. Elsa visibly relaxed but her gloved hands were still gripping the microphone tightly.

"Well, now that's out of the way," Elsa said thinly. "Shall I serenade you all with a bit of Paramore?"

That worked like a charm on her loyal fans, the worshipping returning full force and cheers rolling out to Elsa and the band like the ocean.

* * *

 

The man could have been a Dry Ice fan… if he gave it any real effort. He was a peculiar sort of fellow, Anna noted, as she watched him struggle against blue and red electrical cords on a wooden chair. Average in bulk, Dry Ice memorabilia on his person in order to blend in with the crowd, and his hair was shaved on the side like Marshmallow's but it was pink instead of snow-white. When he spoke, he sounded like a high class English man but most of the words he had uttered were swears in either Anna's direction or Oaken's.

The blonde security guard was glaring down at him, his cuddly, teddy bear appearance extinguished completely. If Anna weren't so angry at the man, she would have been scared of Oaken.

The concert was ending with the last note of "Let It Go" being belted out by Elsa. Once she finished, the audience exploded with applause and Elsa bid them farewell.

Anna had to hand it to Elsa; she really managed to collect herself and perform as if nothing had gone wrong. The show must go on, indeed.

The band exited off the stage and jogged around to the back where the three were waiting for them. The attacker was pouting— though Anna felt he had no reason to pout— and slumping in his seat.

"Alright, ass-wipe," Elsa said, getting into his face. "What's the big idea?"

The man simply glared at her.

"Not gonna talk? Fine," Elsa growled, leaning back and folding her arms across her chest. In spite of the sweat glistening on her skin and her chest heaving from bouncing around on stage, Elsa still managed to look intimidating. "I'm sure the cops will have a nice time with you. I don't need to waste my time—"

"He warned you," the man said, his eyes falling on Anna.

"I beg your pardon?" Anna said, alarmed. "Who warned me?"

"Keep Anna out of this," Elsa said sharply.

"Wait, hold on," Olaf piped up. "Els, give him time to say what he has to."

"Who warned me!?" Anna demanded, exasperated, tired, and knowing her hotel bed was calling to her.

"Anders," the man said dully. "Hans found out that his family basically disowned him after he told tales of revenge. And that Anders came blubbering to you in order to avoid a lawsuit."

" _You're_ Westerguard's lackey?" Elsa spat, disgusted.

"My name is Jones, thank you very much."

"Okay, Jones," Olaf said, he and Elsa seeming to play good-cop-bad-cop at this point. "If you tell us why—"

"I already told you," Jones said, rolling his eyes. "Hans wants revenge. You picked a bone with the wrong guy, Elsa." He grinned malevolently at her. "He's not going to take this firing lightly."

"Hans can go fuck himself!" Sitron said from behind Anna, startling her.

"I concur," Elsa said firmly.

"Revenge is gonna be sweet unless you make amends," Jone continued.

"Hans got fired because of his bad attitude, his lazy tendencies… the list goes on!" Olaf said, starting to get irritated fast.

"So he hired me to deliver the warning," Jones said, as if it all made sense.

"But that doesn't explain why you threw a _fucking bottle_ at Elsa's head," Anna ground out, drawing astonished expressions from the band. "That's not a warning! A warning is a cryptic message on their Facebook wall or… an email… or a creepy phone call with a voice alterer!"

The corners of Elsa's mouth twitched upward at the endearing ideas Anna had for a warning.

"A bottle isn't exactly a great message," Marshmallow finally spoke up. "Especially if you aimed at her head."

"I wasn't aiming at her head, you idiots," Jones growled. "It just so happened to go that direction."

"Bullshit!" Elsa and Anna snapped simultaneously.

"Look, I may be hired to deliver a warning but I was certainly not trying to kill the girl," Jones defended. "That would be moronic."

The band, plus Anna, exchanged mixed expressions. On one hand, Olaf and Marshmallow seemed to believe his story. Sitron looked torn— deciding on whether or not to clock Jones a new one or let it go entirely. Elsa and Anna were both infuriated, wanting to get to the bottom of this and _then_ let it go. If Hans was really out for revenge, Anna was convinced that he was a big psychopath and acting like a gigantic child.

"Jones… I think we need to assess the situation," Olaf said slowly, not regarding the incredulous looks thrown his way by Elsa and Anna. "If what you say is true, then clearly Hans needs to be found and… we'll let you go."

"I want a damn restraining order," Elsa muttered.

"I won't do it again," Jones promised. "I only did it 'cause I got paid. I won't even report back to him. He'll hear about it on the news, for sure."

"I'm sure Twitter and Tumblr are blowing up right now," Anna mumbled, fighting the itch to whip out her phone and scour her dashboard for gif sets of Olaf pushing Elsa out of the way and her Twitter to find Tweets that most likely went: "OMG you guys won't even believe what happened (hashtagElsa, hashtagDryIce)."

"Should we press charges?" Sitron said, glancing at Elsa.

Elsa chewed on her bottom lip, her eyes raking over Jones with distaste. He returned the stare blankly, appearing bored.

"'Should we press charges!?'" Anna repeated, gaping at Sitron. " _Should_!?"

"No," Elsa answered.

"Wait, what?" Anna's fury vanished in an instant.

"I don't have time to waste on him," Elsa said. "It was one bottle thrower and I'm feeling lenient… Oaken, escort him out. I think we all deserve some time at a dive bar to drink away our troubles."

Oaken untied Jones and grabbed him by the back of his shirt, forcing him along. Anna was staring stupidly at Elsa, dumbstruck. Elsa caught her glance and furrowed her brows.

"What?" she snapped.

"I… No," Anna said acidly. "No, no, no, you should have done something!"

"Anna, I don't have time for getting into the legal bullshit," Elsa said harshly. "If he says he's not gonna do it again, he won't do it again! But I _will_ find Hans sometime soon and crush him for good. I guarantee you that."

The redhead drew in a long breath, the hum of the crowd long gone from their interrogation session with Jones. She felt tears prick the back of her eyes as her gloved hand ran through her hair.

"I just… I didn't like…" She felt her neck burn. "I was scared."

"Scared?" Elsa said.

Neither of them noticed that the three boys had followed Oaken out to give Jones a quick piece of their mind before allowing him to traipse off. It was just the two girls surrounded by electrical equipment and busy techies.

"I thought… I thought the bottle was going to hit you and I couldn't do a thing about it," Anna whispered.

Elsa allowed herself to smile genuinely, her heart fluttering at the compassion Anna was showing towards her. She tentatively reached out and wrapped an arm around the roadie's shoulders.

"Hey, Anna, it's alright," Elsa assured gently, ducking her head to meet Anna's teal eyes. "Lucky Olaf saw it before I did."

Anna sniffled and rubbed underneath her eyes, cursing herself for nearly crying at Elsa's expense. She nodded shyly, however, thanking their lucky stars that Olaf was light on his feet and acted fast.

"Just don't get attacked by bottle throwers again, okay?" Anna said, her voice cracking. "Or I'll finish the bottle's job."

Elsa laughed— not a snicker— a true laugh, throwing her head back with mirth. Anna felt her mouth twitch and her heart soared.

"I'll keep that in mind, kid," Elsa said, squeezing Anna's arm. "C'mon, I'll buy you a beer."

She started to lead Anna out of the stadium, the ginger feeling confident enough to slip her arm around Elsa's waist, the two of them finally acting like friends on mutual standings. They exited the stadium and spied three silhouettes pummeling one, though not too hard, and shouting warnings at him to never attempt to hurt Elsa again.

"You know what, that beer sounds great," Anna agreed, grimacing and almost feeling sorry for Jones. "It'll get my mind off of this whole incident."

"Jesus Christ," Elsa groaned. She placed two fingers in her mouth and whistled, calling off her band members at once. "Leave him alone!"

The three sulked off, Jones— not too hurt— stumbling to his feet and stuffing his hands in his pockets before heading in the other direction.

"They really do love you, Els," Anna tried.

Elsa smiled. "Yeah, they do."

They continued into Denver, arms still lazily slung over one another in kindness. The cool Denver sky smiled down upon them, midnight striking somewhere on someone's watch. Anna didn't remember what time she and Elsa made it back to the hotel but she was sure that it was at least three in the morning. They crashed in their respective rooms, tipsy and sleepy.

Anna, however, fell asleep with a goofy grin on her face.

She had called Elsa "Els."

And Elsa didn't even correct her.


	12. Fuckin' Perfect

She could smell chimney and barbecue smoke from her bedroom window. The cool summer air was biting at her skin… but that was okay. The cold had never bothered her.

Her hair was falling in her face, icy eyes lidded with the decision weighing on her being. Her left shoulder still ached from the snowflake tattoo she had gotten a few months ago, which caused her to become grounded once her mother found out.

In retrospect, it probably would have been a good idea not to use her credit card.

She was leaning on the edge of the open window, gazing out at the dimly lit street glowing with luminescent orang street lamps. The crack beneath her door was dark… her mother and grandmother were both asleep.

Good.

It would make her escape much easier.

Elsa took in a shuddering breath and dipped down, her bare hands grasping the handle of her backpack. The bus would be leaving in an hour and she wanted to get there soon, lest her mother checked up on her. There was no way she was going to go tour that college with her tomorrow morning. It wasn't what Elsa wanted to do. She had taken that year off for a reason but her mother was insisting she attend college this year.

Elsa, however, had other plans.

She shouldered her bag and stepped onto the ledge of the window before she leapt from the second floor, landing on her feet on the front lawn. Elsa turned, staring intently at the window and straining her ears for any signs one of them had heard her.

Satisfied with the little results, Elsa stuffed her earbuds in her ears and smirked to herself, playing Rock Steady as she strolled down the sidewalk towards the place where the band was meeting her, to begin her life on tour as a roadie.

"Elsa?" a voice called through her earbuds.

The eighteen-year-old froze and she glanced over her shoulder. The voice sounded like her mother's… but she was asleep, right?

"Elsa!" the voice shouted, far away.

"Shit," Elsa groaned, the light in her bedroom flicking on.

Wasting no time, she took off down the street, her sneakers hitting the pavement with dull thuds.

"Elsa!"

The voice sounded closer to her, no matter how far or how fast she ran. The sidewalk seemed to be crumbling beneath her feet—

"Elsa, wake up!"

Something soft hit her in the face and Elsa woke with a start, sitting bolt upright, breathing hard. She took in her surroundings and discovered she was on the couch in the bus, the giant vehicle rumbling towards Texas. She didn't know how long she had been passed out or when she had in the first place. All she knew was that she was shaking and that four faces were staring down at her, concern written all over their features, Olaf holding the pillow he had smacked her in the head with.

"You were squirming in your sleep," he announced as Elsa ran a gloved hand through her hair.

"Bad dream?" Anna wondered.

"Yeah… sort of," Elsa mumbled, waving them away. "I'm fine. I promise. Jesus, give me some air."

"You heard her. Just fine," Sitron agreed with a laugh, sitting into the booth and continuing his oh-so-healthy breakfast of ramen.

"You look… well, more pale that usual," Anna commented quietly, sitting on the edge of the couch. "Are you sure you're okay? No fever or anything?"

"Anna, I'm alright," Elsa sighed, drawing her knees up to her chest. "It was just a dream… a memory…" She trailed off and Anna took that as her cue to leave Elsa alone and stop the questions.

So she got to her feet and headed into the booth opposite Sitron, burying her nose in a textbook so she could finally get some studying done. Olaf, however, sank beside Elsa and sent her a supportive smile.

"If you ever need to talk about it, Els," he said sweetly, placing his hand atop hers, the leather blocking the skin-to-skin contact, "you have friends here."

"Olaf, relax," she told him shortly. "If I'm having night terrors. It would be obvious if I was. It was just a stupid dream and that's that."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

His soft smile turned into his crooked, cartoonish smile and he turned his attention to the television broadcasting a cartoon. Elsa took in a deep breath and pressed her forehead against her knees, the fabric and pattern of her jeans embedding itself on her skin, trying to remember why she was experiencing those dreams again.

It was vivid… she hadn't had dreams like that in a long time; flashbacks to her childhood and late teens. It disturbed her. It wasn't even a really bad dream. She definitely had worse.

Elsa lifted her head and stared down at her gloves, feeling a rising hatred in her heart for the first time in a long time. She liked her gloves, she did, but after that dream… she remembered vaguely it was like to not wear them all the time.

The others were talking behind her but she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. She closed her eyes and let her fingers, the only bare part of her hands, rub against her jeans, trying to simulate the feeling of her senses.

Her ears picked up a part of Anna's sentence and she tuned in for a little while.

"…I wanted to murder him, wherever he is," Anna was saying, turning a page in her book. "Hans will _not_ get away with this."

"Anna, we contacted Kai last night and he's going to talk to the Westerguard company about getting him to back down," Olaf said.

"Hans is a maniac," Sitron said. "He's got this stupid… ah… entitlement about him that wants revenge. I dunno about you, but I think he needs to be locked up in the looney bin."

"I'd love to see that," Anna said bitterly.

"It's all we can do now," Marshmallow added, very much on his brother's side. "Hopefully he'll stop after almost getting Elsa injured."

"I don't think he cares about that," Anna scoffed.

"It's dangerous for himself," Olaf interjected. "I don't think he'd want to get in too much trouble."

"He wants to ruin Elsa's career! Her good name!" Sitron wailed.

"Can we _please_ put it to rest!" Elsa found herself shouting.

Everyone froze, shutting their mouths. The blonde ran a tired hand over her face and through her hair.

"Thank you," she said. "We're going to deal with it when the time comes, alright? For now, let's focus on the tour and the concert in… San Antonio?"

"Well, _around_ San Antonio," Olaf said, frowning. "It's actually this tiny town called… Weaseltown."

"What?" Anna snorted, a grin lighting up her features. "No _way_ is it called—"

"It's actually called Weselton," Marshmallow corrected, smiling.

"That's still stupid," Anna insisted, stretching out her legs along the length of the booth seat. "Weselton, Texas? Ew. Weselton sounds like a disease." She put on a deep voice, contorting her face to appear somewhat elderly. "'I'm sorry ma'am but I'm afraid you've developed Weselton's Disease. It's a form of stupidity, which is fatal.'"

Olaf and Sitron burst out laughing, clutching their sides.

"The point of the concert is to fight protest," Elsa recited over the laughter of the bassist and guitarist, nodding to herself. "Kai said that the mayor was really upset I'm playing there."

"Why?" Anna said, her head cocking to one said.

"'Cause it's Texas and they're not exactly thrilled to have a member of the LGBTQ community playing in their state, let alone their town," Sitron explained, rolling his eyes heavily but the grin due to Anna's joke was still on his face.

"But a lot of people like me for my music," Elsa said, the corners of her mouth twitching. "So a _huge_ number of people are demanding we play. Some people are coming from out of state to see me." She leaned her head back enough so she could look at Anna upside down. She then flashed Anna a cat-like grin when their eyes met. "But we'll be avoiding a large protest group on the way in."

"Dedication to your talent," Anna said with an approving smile. "I can't wait to see the look on their faces."

"You're not gonna warn us to be careful?" Elsa said, raising her brows.

"Like that would stop you," Anna said, shaking her head. "I actually say go for it. It's about time we stick it to bigoted protestors."

"You're saying it like we've never done it before," Sitron said.

"Oh! No, no," Anna said, appearing slightly alarmed. "Not at all. I'm… uh, I'm sure you have 'cause you guys don't seem to be the type to just back off. You put up a fight. Not that you'd _want_ to…" She made a disgruntled noise before shoving her head into her book. "Shut up, Sitron."

Elsa laughed and moved her head so it was in its normal position. She cracked her knuckles— the gloves always proving to be a barrier— and swung her legs off the couch so she could rise to her feet.

"I think I need some time to think," Elsa said. "I'm getting a headache…"

"There's Advil in the medicine cabinet if you need some," Anna said, concern falling over her face once again.

"No, no." Elsa shook her head. "I'll be fine. I just need to lie down and… something."

The boys didn't seem too worried about her but Anna was. She scooted off the booth and grabbed Elsa's arm as the punk tried to make an escape into her little cave of seclusion that was her bedroom.

"What?" Elsa snapped without meaning to.

"My mom once told me the best way to clear your mind is letting everything out to someone else. So the burden is no longer your own to carry," Anna said firmly, tightening her grip and digging her fingers into the alabaster skin of Elsa's left arm, the bold letters I and T of her "Let It Go" tattoo covered by the galaxy of freckles strewn along her hand. "I don't care if you and I aren't best friends yet, I told you I was going to try."

Elsa stared at her, bewildered, and felt a blush fall over her cheeks. The three boys seemed to shrink into the distance and all she saw was Anna, a true and strong affection and _some_ thing else in the sea-green eyes of the redhead. That backbone she had been attracted to on the first day they had met. Elsa then placed the other thing in Anna's gaze.

Determination.

She wasn't going to allow Elsa to slide out of this one.

This stupid, dorky, stubborn girl was the reason Elsa was going crazy late at night. She had these strange attractions to Anna ever since she allowed herself to open up to her in the gym that day and they only grew. Letting another part of her slip terrified Elsa. Was she letting too much of herself to be put into Anna? She was trusting her… no one had ever made her feel as strongly as she did for the redhead. No one ever made her want to better herself, to open up and let people in.

Was she really ready to start up a new relationship… romantic or platonic?

No— she was in too deep with the kid already. She knew damn well her feelings were anything _but_ platonic.

The dream returned to her again. How anxious she had been when she jumped. How excited she had been, too. The thrill of running away from home— a legal adult or not— was something she had never regretted…

Until she had returned in January, earning an earful of scolds and shouts from her mother.

"I really want to help you," Anna said. "Please don't shut me out."

"I'm not sure if you _could_ help me," Elsa said truthfully, not meeting the younger girl's eyes.

"At least let me try," Anna offered.

"If you'd like…"

She eased her arm out of Anna's hand and pressed forward, Anna at her heels, toying with her hands anxiously. She didn't expect that to go so well.

As soon as they stepped over the threshold of Elsa's bedroom, it hit Anna that she had never actually been inside it before. Sure she had stolen glances while passing by to go into her own room or saw it slightly over Elsa's shoulder while talking to her in the doorway. Otherwise, the door was always shut. Anna assumed that Elsa just didn't let anyone in but clearly that wasn't the case at the given moment.

Elsa was shutting the door behind her, Anna drinking in the new area. The queen sized bed was pushed up in the corner of the room near the windows, playing the role of a cozy little nest for the punk. There was a desk attached to a small cabinet that held a television on the top on Anna's right. To her left was the wall that separated their rooms. Directly in front of Anna was a closet and a small beside table.

Not only was it small— bigger than Anna's though— but it was also neat. Incredibly neat. As if Elsa had gone over every inch of this room with a ruler and a vacuum, ensuring it remained clean.

"Whoa," Anna found herself gasping.

"What?" Elsa said, smirking slightly and flopping down onto her bed.

"It's… I never imagined your room would be neat," Anna said.

"Really?" The blonde quirked an eyebrow and crossed her legs at the knees. "What did you expect?"

Anna scratched the side of her head. "Uh… a hovel?"

Elsa laughed. "I assure you, kid, that I would never allow my room to ever get messy. It doesn't do well when I want to think properly."

Anna's eyes skimmed the room again, her feet still planted near the door, and noticed that the only thing in the room that actually was a bit of a mess was the desk. With good reason, of course. There were papers crumpled up in the wastebasket, wrinkled on the desk as if Elsa tried to flatten them out. Eraser shavings littered the area and pencils were thrown haphazardly in the cup at the top of the desk.

"Except there," Elsa mumbled, her gaze following Anna's. "That's never clean."

"Still struggling with a song?"

"Yeah but that's not why you're here, is it?"

Anna blinked and shifted her eyes from the desk to Elsa, who was now staring her expectantly.

"Oh right," Anna said, nodding. She stepped closer to Elsa and pulled out the desk chair, sitting in it with the back against her chest so she could lean her arms on the top. "That dream seemed to bother you a lot… tell me about it."

"I told you that I left home to go tour with a band, right?" Elsa said, choosing her words carefully as she went, like she had done at the gym.

"I think so."

"Well, I only dreamed of the night I left… and my mom's voice calling after me when she discovered I was gone."

"You ran away."

"Yeah. I couldn't live a life I didn't want to live." Elsa picked at her leather gloves moodily. "My mom wanted me to go to college and I just couldn't. I knew it wouldn't make me happy."

"You made a choice for _you_." Anna offered her a kind smile. "There's nothing wrong with that… Then what made the nightmare, well, a nightmare?"

"It was her voice," Elsa whispered, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. "My mom was so… she sounded so scared." She screwed her eyes shut. "I had forgotten how terrified she was when I had left… because all my life I had convinced myself that she didn't care." _Stop talking_. "She had ripped me from my dad, tried to take away my music—" _Elsa, stop it_. "—she was shoving college down my throat and yelled at me when I got home with—" _Shut your fucking mouth!_

Elsa swallowed her words and took in a deep breath.

"Can I not… can I just leave it at that?" she pleaded Anna, her eyes shining.

Anna nodded. "Of course. May I speak?"

"If you want. I don't think I really have a choice in the matter."

"Elsa, do you feel guilty for leaving? Is that a possibility?"

"I don't regret it."

"Regret and guilt are different." The ginger shifted in her chair. "If you really think about it. You might feel guilty about making her frightened but you don't regret leaving to make yourself free. It was up to you and you wanted to do something that made you feel good but it came with a price."

Anna fell silent. She bit down on the supple flesh of her bottom lip as she thought. Elsa tried not to stare at the what was supposed to be an innocent gesture.

_If I could only know how you kissed… how it felt to kiss you… maybe I'd stop acting like a hormonal teenager. Seriously, what the hell is wrong with me? Pull yourself together, you fucking moron._

"Where… where did you used to live?" Anna asked, pulling Elsa out of her inner voice.

"Wisconsin."

"Really? Wow! That's awesome— okay, how about we make a game plan!" Anna leapt to her feet and stood in front of Elsa, her teal eyes suddenly bright. "Are we gonna pass by?"

"Probably… we're gonna be up North again in the middle of this month," Elsa said, rubbing the back of her neck.

"Why don't we visit her?"

Elsa's eyes got so big Anna was surprised they didn't fall out of their sockets. Immediately, the blonde was at her feet and gawking at Anna, horrified.

"Are you _insane_!?" Elsa demanded.

"Just a little bit," Anna quipped. "Elsa, this might be good closure for you."

"I don't need any fucking closure!" Elsa wailed, grabbing at her hair and passing her, starting up a pacing route from the closet to Anna and back again. "Not from her! She yelled at me, she was sorry I left, big fucking deal! I don't need anything from her! She's the reason I'm like this! She's the reason I can't decide on who I really am!"

"Elsa?"

"I mean— god fucking dammit!" Elsa kicked over the chair Anna had been sitting in, startling the girl. "I had to hide away so much and be the good girl I always had to be. Sit up straight, do my homework, stay on track! I didn't get a chance to explore myself until I was _seventeen_!" Elsa's fists went to her sides, balled up and shaking. Her blue eyes were wide and angry, but not at Anna.

Never at Anna.

"Elsa," Anna tried weakly. "Look at yourself…" She moved forward and pried open Elsa's hands, gripping them tight with her bare ones, the punk breathing hard. "It's okay, I'm sorry." Icy eyes met teal and Anna flashed her an apologetic smile. "Look, this is my fault. It was silly of me to think I could make things better. I shouldn't have even—"

"No… you're right," Elsa said, closing her eyes and letting her fingers tighten around the younger girl's hands. She counted to ten before she spoke again, eyes still closed. "I'm clearly… I've _always_ been upset about this. I just never told anyone about it before."

"Elsa, I want you to think about it," Anna said, giving her hands a squeeze. "We still have a long way until we even reach Wisconsin. Just think about my idea to see her… maybe this will help you."

"I'm sorry for freaking out like that."

Anna giggled. "It's alright. You tend to bounce back and forth from several different moods. I'm getting used to it as I go along."

* * *

 

"I'm not so sure that this is a good idea anymore," Sitron said, glancing out the window. "I mean, I'm all for sticking it to the man and stuff but when the man looks like he has a double barrel shotgun, I might reconsider sticking it."

The bus was chugging its way over to the theatre where the band was to play for two nights but some of the town of Weselton who greatly opposed Dry Ice, including the mayor, stood on the sidewalk with several protest signs and one of them— as Sitron pointed out— was even carrying a shotgun.

"Way to stereotype yourselves," Olaf mumbled, joining Sitron on the watch.

"But look!" Anna said excitedly, pointing. "The fans!"

Everyone turned their attention to the group of Dry Ice supporters standing firmly by the theatre and not allowing the protestors to come any closer than they already were. Elsa felt her heart soar with affection for her fans, a big, stupid grin spreading across her face.

"Well, I'll be damned," she said in a hoarse whisper.

"Not everyone in a big asshole," Sitron sighed with relief.

"Hopefully it won't last," Marshmallow said. "No parties. Just play, return to the bus, repeat the next day, then get the hell out of here."

"Sounds great," Elsa agreed. "Should we try to reason with them?" Anna wondered.

"I don't think we should," Olaf said, grimacing.

"Yeah, they might bust a cap in our asses," Sitron joked.

"Never say that again," Marshmallow groaned.

Elsa was wringing her hands and nibbling on her bottom lip, feeling nervousness rise up to the top of her throat like bile. She really was happy to do this concert, showing the world she wasn't afraid of the haters…

But she secretly was.

She absolutely hated criticism and really wished that this wouldn't tarnish her reputation. She was already— clearly— seen as a nuisance in this town and she hadn't even stepped foot out of the bus. Would other towns try to stop her from performing?

"We're here," Oaken called from the front, making Elsa flinch. "Let's get into the theatre. Anna and I will escort you safely."

"Wait, what? Oaken, I'm not security! I'll be torn to shreds!"

"Relax," the big man assured, grinning. "No one will touch you at all." He cracked his gigantic knuckles, winking down at the roadie. "Not while I'm around."

Anna sighed and scooted off the couch, walking over to Oaken with the three boys following her. Elsa swallowed her fears and put on a brave face.

"Alright. Let's go," she said, her smirk splayed across her lips and her knuckles popping as she flexed her fingers. "I'm ready to show those homophobes of Weaseltown that I'll perform no matter what they say."

The band stepped out of the bus and started making their way towards the theatre. They were greeted by a mixture of boos and cheers but ignored them all, staring straight and chins high. Elsa dug her hands into her pockets and moved closer to Anna as they walked, the ginger returning the gesture by nudging the punk's shoulder with her own, a smile lighting her features.

"You're doing great," Anna told her quietly. "Keep moving."

Without a scratch, they reached the stage door and the stagehand waiting for them ushered Dry Ice inside, trying to keep everyone in one piece. However, a few of the protestors surged forward and started shouting, the fans trying to intervene but weren't enough to keep them at bay.

Elsa caught a few hurtful slurs being tossed at her. Some of the old classics like "faggot" and "dyke" were the most insulting, with good reason, and she was starting to become more angry than afraid.

 _I really hope this is the only ignorant town I have to play in_ , she thought, her eyes igniting with fury. She had half a mind to turn around and yell right back.

But Anna was doing that for her. It had occurred to her that Anna had stopped walking and was facing the crowd, hot tears in her eyes and her hands on her hips, squawking at them to shut up.

Elsa was reminded that Anna herself was also interested in girls so those comments hurt her, too. The blonde looked at Oaken, who was masking the pain but he must have— at some point in his life— suffered under those horrendous nicknames. They shared similar expressions of disgust and understanding as Olaf and Sitron literally dragged Anna inside with them, the door slamming shut behind the group.

"That was terrible!" Anna cried, wiping underneath her eyes and stomping down the hall.

"That really was," Marshmallow agreed, frowning.

"You didn't have to make a scene, kid," Elsa said.

"They were being rude and obnoxious and downright disgusting!" Anna wailed. "How dare they use such language!?"

"Cowards," Olaf said, his face uncharacteristically dark. "I wanted to punch them all."

"I would have," Sitron said. "I thought they'd just boo us and we'd get over it. I'm not gay but, fuck, those comments stung."

"Let's just get practicing," Elsa sighed. "It's only for two nights, guys. We'll manage. Then it's off to… ah, let's see… Oklahoma City."

"The sooner we're out of here, the better," Anna said firmly.

* * *

 

After the practice was through, the band sat in the dressing room with some McDonalds that Anna had rushed out to get for them. Elsa wasn't touching her food, merely glaring down at the burger and fries, as if they were mocking her and shouting obscenities at her just like the protestors did.

"You should eat something, Els," Anna said, sitting beside her on the faux leather couch. "I know McDonalds isn't the most healthy of food choices but it was the only thing I could grab without being attacked by those protestors outside."

"It's fine, Anna, I'm just…" Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm just more nervous about performing than usual."

"Because of the idiots who are just… idiots?" Anna said.

"Depending on which idiots… outside or over there," Elsa manage to joke, nodding at the three boys who were munching on their fries on the couch across from them.

"Har har," Sitron grunted.

"You know which idiots I'm talking about," Anna said, giving her a wry smile.

"Well, they're not storming the area so I think we'll be alright for a while," Olaf said helpfully.

Their hopeful thoughts were cut short, however, when Oaken poked his big head through the door with a sour expression.

"You have a very… insistent visitor," he announced apologetically.

Before he could even tell them who it was, the door swung open and a tiny man passed by Oaken with an air of self entitlement. He was rather thin, almost as if his entire body was made of sticks. His nose was large and beak-shaped, a pair of circular glasses perched on the bridge. He wore an obvious toupee and his mustache was so bushy that it hid his top lip. Oaken stood in the doorway, not quite comfortable to leave the band alone with the stranger. Dry Ice didn't get up to greet the guy or give him warm smiles— something they would usually do to any fan who had a backstage pass. No, there was something off about this man and they all knew it.

Anna nominated herself the ambassador for Dry Ice and spoke first.

"How can we help you?" she asked coolly.

"I'm the Mayor of Weselton," the man introduced, his voice a thick, nasally sort of sound.

"Ah, yes," Elsa said. "The one who is very… unhappy with our performing here." She leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "Do lecture us about how 'my kind' is disgusting and how we shouldn't be playing for your hick town—"

" _Elsa_ ," Anna warned sharply.

"What? You know that's exactly what he's here to do!" Elsa said, raising her hands defensively.

The Mayor scowled darkly at Elsa, who raised an eyebrow at him in the most uninterested expression she could manage. He looked back at Anna and folded his little twig arms across his chest.

"I am asking you to leave my town. What you're displaying is sinful and can infect the young minds of those coming to see your show!" he spat.

"'What they're displaying?'" Anna repeated, furrowing her brows.

In spite of the situation they were in, Elsa was going to make the best of it as much as she could by hamming it up.

"Oh _no_!" Elsa wailed sarcastically. "They're seeing a lesbian on stage singing!" She made several "oohing" noises and wiggled her gloved fingers in the air. "A lesbian who once questioned her sexuality. Swaying her hips and making everyone else gaaaaaaaaay." She threw her head back and rolled it on her shoulders, as if the devil was possessing her. "Everyone stay away! You'll catch my homosexuality!"

"Oh my god," Anna grinned, trying her hardest to keep a straight face and hiding her head in her hands, giggling against her will.

"We're not trying infect people," Marshmallow said calmly. "That's ridiculous."

"And we're not even singing about being gay in the first place," Sitron added, rolling his eyes as Elsa dramatically attacked Anna by throwing her arms around the poor roadie and started nuzzling her hair with her cheek, begging Anna to cure her.

"Our concerts are about the music," Olaf said firmly. "It's stupid to think otherwise!"

"Elsa, for fuck's sake!" Anna snarled, pushing the cackling singer off of her. "That's enough already!"

"Alright, you're right," Elsa said, sitting in her seat properly. "But in all seriousness, Mayor, we're a band about self expression, self love, and self acceptance. Not everything I do… in fact, hardly anything I do is in relation to me going for girls. Don't let my sexuality overtake what the band is all about."

"Mr. Mayor, sir, you don't need to feel threatened by them," Anna told him gently. "Look at these four." She gestured broadly to them behind her. "They may look like a rough 'n tough gang of punk rockers who do hard drugs and spray paint walls and whatever else the stereotype is but, in reality, they're all basically a bunch of big hearted band geeks."

Dry Ice whipped their heads at Anna, appearing slightly affronted.

"And right now they're all giving me incredulous looks because they've convinced themselves that they're tougher than nails," Anna said, grinning over her shoulder. "I bet each and every one of them cried at the end of Toy Story 3."

"Who _didn't_!?" Sitron demanded.

"People with no souls," Elsa deadpanned.

"Yes," Olaf agreed.

"You see what I mean?" Anna said to the Mayor. "Do they look like they're gonna infect your town with… my god, it's _impossible_ to—"

"I don't care," the Mayor said stubbornly. "I don't approve of this whatsoever!"

"Good for you," Sitron snapped. "But our shows are already sold out!"

"We can't up and cancel them, bud," Olaf said.

"Why don't you scurry back to your little protest group and cry me a river?" Sitron suggested dryly. "Let us play our two show and then we'll be out of your fake hair."

Anna snorted into her fist but tried to play it off as a coughing fit. Elsa smirked and ran her hands through her hair, waiting for the creep to leave. The Mayor sniffed critically before turning on his high heeled boot and trotting out of the room in a huff. Oaken shut the door behind him, the band left alone in a relieved silence.

"What a complete dickhead," Olaf said with a cheerful smile.

* * *

 

That night on stage, Elsa stood her ground and decided to push a few buttons. It wasn't exactly what everyone would have initially agreed on but the Mayor had given them all a reason to be a tad pissed off, with good reason. So when she had the mic in her leather bound fist and the attention of Weselton's young adult citizens, she asked for everyone to take out their phones and record the speech she was about to give.

When the band was nearly blinded by the lights of recording devices and cellphones pointed at them, Elsa started up.

"I know that a lot of you are only here because of my music. And that's the only reason. But it's a _good_ reason because that's what Dry Ice is all about. The music and the message of self," she began, earning a few cheers and shouts of approval. "Some of you, however, may be aware of the reason protestors are currently outside the theatre… it's because I just so happen to like girls." There were several hoots and someone wolf-whistled. Elsa snickered. "Thank you, darling. The point I'm trying to make is this: we are here for the music. Not to flaunt my sexuality, not to turn anyone gay, and not to raise hell in the eyes of the ignorant. Love is love. And you _should love yourself_ no matter what. I know Weselton is a small town and it's hard to do such. But there's a great big world out there for all of you who are lost, confused, and hurt." She thrust her fist in the air, shouting into the mic, "I want to hear approval! Love yourself right! Now!"

The theatre shook with screams from the fans, their hands preoccupied with their cameras. They stomped on the floor, the shouts becoming a chant of Elsa's name. Anna's ears were ringing backstage and she scolded herself for not wearing any earplugs. But in spite of that, she was proud of Elsa's statement and was clapping with the rest of the crowd. Elsa glanced side stage and caught Anna's eye, winking at her, as if they were sharing a secret that Anna wasn't actually in on.

There was something behind that wink. Something Anna couldn't quite grasp…

* * *

 

Every single recording of Elsa's little speech went viral on Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Some more than others. But it was the thing every Dry Ice fan was talking about. Elsa had really made an impact on many, many people ("For once," Sitron joked, only to earn a punch in the gut by the blonde.) and it was a trending topic amongst every forum Anna looked up.

She received a call from Rapunzel as she made herself at home in her little bedroom, snuggling up with Mose and skimming through Tumblr, spying gif sets of the band from the fan pages she started to recently follow.

"Holy fuck," was the first thing out of Rapunzel's mouth. "Elsa really… blew a lot of people away."

"You're telling me," Anna said, a small blush falling across her cheeks. "It was really admirable of her. I've never seen her so confident in something before."

"Ooh, look at you," Rapunzel teased.

"What?" Anna demanded, her brows inching together.

"The way your face changed. My, my, my… you have the hots for Elsa, don't you?"

"What!?" Anna grit her teeth but the blush only darkened. "No way!"

"Yes way!"

"Rapunzel, shut up! You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh come _on_. The last time you had that derpy, dorky little face on was when Merida gave you that teddy bear for your two week anniversary! My lord, you were smitten."

"But… I… so what!?" Anna caved, screwing her eyes shut. "She's hot! She's attractive! Elsa is damn… damn… ugh!"

" _Do you understand my conflict now!?_ "

"Rapunzel, need I remind you that you're dating Eugene!?"

"Okay, first of all, there's a beautiful thing called a three-way—"

"Stop _right_ there."

Rapunzel burst out laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry." Her face changed to one of seriousness. "Really, Anna. How do you feel?"

Anna sighed hopelessly. "I don't know. I mean, yes, okay, I find her attractive. She's not really my type in an entirety but she has that general stubbornness and inner kindness that pulled me in. Elsa's become concerned for me, she's been letting herself be more loose around me, and even hunted all around Seattle for this guy!" She held up Mose for Rapunzel to see.

"Is that a sloth?"

"Yup."

"Awh! True love!"

"Punzie, this is _not_ love. I'm not in love with Elsa. Attraction and crushing on someone isn't lo—"

"Crushing?"

"My big fat mouth." She shook her head. "The _point_ is that this isn't love! Remember the last time I was convinced I was in love?"

"Hans up and cheated on you with some skank."

"And my heart got broken into a million pieces and Merida managed to stitch it back up. But she moved and now I'm here with these confusing thoughts and feelings about Elsa, who is probably just playing me and giving me attention I like and I'm most likely knocking this entire thing out of proportion and I _hate_ being underneath this spell." Anna pouted. "If that's what you'd call it. It's not like I'm swooning over her or anything. I'm not begging on my knees for her to date me. Maybe if I kissed her, I'd get all these emotions out the door and realize this was no big deal and—"

"Whoa, slow down," Rapunzel said. "Honey, you're gonna lose air when you talk that fast."

"I know," Anna sighed, rubbing the heel of her hand on her forehead. "Elsa probably just considers me as her kid sister— her close friend at best."

"Well, whatever happens, happens." She offered Anna a kind smile. "Don't over think it."

"I'll try." Anna returned the smile. "I should head on to bed. I'll talk to you soon."

"Alright. Stay safe and be good."

"No promises."

The call ended there, Anna holding the phone and staring at it until it locked itself, leaving her in the darkness of her room.


	13. Down in New Orleans

**So there's this chapter… then the next one is… the** _**real** _ **Elsanna. Reasons leading up to it will ensue in the beginning of that one. For now, have some sexual tension and fluff.**

**This is also more of a filler chapter than most. There's some purpose to it but it's to give the girls a chance to get closer.**

**Thank you for your continued support.**

* * *

They left Weselton faster than a speeding bullet after their second show. They didn't even wait a night to relax and unwind. They loaded up their equipment, Oaken leapt into the driver's seat, and the bus took off into the dead of night. Elsa and Anna were sitting in the roadie's bedroom, watching the town fade into the distance until nothing was around them but the desert, heading towards Oklahoma City.

"Good riddance," Elsa said, folding her arms across her chest and leaning her back on the wall.

She was sitting at the foot of Anna's bed, Anna at the head, playing idly with Mose. For some reason, both girls had decided to hang out in her bedroom, even though there was next to nothing to do in there. The tiny TV was playing a cable news channel because Anna didn't have DirectTV like the front room and Elsa's room did. The anchor was talking about a storm hitting up in Montana and how tornado season was finally coming to a close.

"Are you okay?" she asked Anna, her icy eyes falling on the younger girl.

"Huh? Of course I am," Anna replied, taken slightly aback. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"I forgot that you also went for girls at one point," Elsa admitted. "I wasn't hurt as bad… 'cause, fuck, I've been called those names plenty of times before. Oaken, too. But you? I hardly know anything about you."

"Oh." Anna pressed her lips together in thought. "Well, no, I've never been called anything like that before. Arendelle has always been a very open minded community. I might have been teased but it was always only by Merida. We joked around and—" Anna giggled. "—said stupid stuff like 'ha! That's gay!' if we, I dunno, said something really lovey-dovey to one another. But it was an inside joke and we never, ever took it by heart."

"I'm sorry you had to be put through all that," Elsa told her truthfully. "I… I didn't realize how awful they were going to be."

"Hey, it's alright," Anna said with a sad smile. "But I'm more sorry you've been through that kind of torment."

Elsa shrugged apathetically.

"And you said that you don't know anything about me?" Anna said.

"I don't. Hardly your favorite color. I know your phone number. That's it. That, and your romantic backstory. That's not _all_ you."

"Would you like to know?"

The question came out shyly, Anna's cheeks lighting up against her will. It was only a matter of time, after all, for Anna do reveal her not-so-dark past to Elsa. She had been forcing Elsa to come forward with her history and it wasn't very fair.

"Of course," Elsa nodded, smiling genuinely.

"Okay… but if I start to ramble, let me apologize ahead of time," Anna said.

"I've told you before, kid, I like hearing you talk."

"Hold _on_ ," Anna said, shaking her head. "What is the matter with you?"

Elsa quirked a brow. "What are you talking about?"

"Suddenly you're acting so nice to me!" Anna flailed a hand in the air. "I don't understand! You're perfectly fine with me about to go off on a tangent, talking about my past, and… and… well, you're acting as if we're best friends all of the sudden!"

"I thought we _were_ best friends," Elsa said, forcing herself not to grin.

"Well you— wait, what?"

Elsa rolled her eyes at Anna, the grin creeping across her face. "I let you call me 'Els,' didn't I?"

 _But the gloves are still on_ , Anna thought. "Yeah… I guess."

"Just roll with it, baby," Elsa teased.

Anna pursed her lips skeptically. "You're _sure_ you want to hear about me?"

"Talk away," Elsa offered, raising a hand to give Anna permission to rant.

The redhead blinked before she took a deep breath and decided to dive into wherever her mind would take her to.

"Alright… let's see. I was born and raised in Arendelle. Dated seriously with two people: Hans and Merida. Otherwise, I kinda kept to myself and my group of friends. Well, actually, I was a big social butterfly during events like football games and homecoming. I talk to just about _any_ body." She started to get more comfortable as she went along. "I have a dog named Bluebell and she's a two-year-old beagle.

"My mom runs a little café and my dad is a writer. He's not _famous_ but he has a couple published works out there. My favorite color is green, 'cause it reminds me of springtime. Ooh, I started school early. My parents thought it would be a good idea for me to get a head start so that's why I'm becoming a junior in college at the age of nineteen. It's weird but… hey, I'm alright with it.

"Ooh, I _love_ chocolate. Have I told you that? Maybe I have. It's the best creation ever since sliced bread. I used to sneak chocolate from my parents and sometimes get in trouble when they caught me. I got smart, though, and started keeping a secret stash under my bed. Like drugs but they weren't drugs."

Elsa snorted and Anna grinned at her, stopping herself for a moment.

"Clearly the chocolate wasn't laced with drugs either," Elsa chuckled. "Ever tried 'em before?"

"Goodness no," Anna said, shaking her head. "I mean, no judgement 'cause I know you've tried them but you ended up puking."

"Yeah… it wasn't my proudest moment. Sitron was laughing at me. _He_ was fucking stoned out of his mind."

"My lord," Anna moaned. "Of course he was."

"That was actually how I met him," Elsa admitted. "I was over at his… uncle's house? I think his uncle's house. But Olaf had taken me over there and they decided to try some pot that Sitron found in his dad's room. Olaf passed out, I vomited, and Sitron held it together. We were… fifteen?"

"Really!?"

"Olaf never did it again because he only wanted to try it once. It's obvious to why I didn't."

"And Sitron?"

"Oh, the bastard gets stoned every now and then." Elsa shrugged. "It's not like he does it everyday. He didn't start up until he was older because his dad found out. It's not a common occurrence. I haven't seen him stoned in a long time but once during practice he came over and smelled like he had been watching Beatles videos on loop."

Anna laughed. "Oh my god."

"Anything else to tell me, kiddo?"

"Um… nope, I think I covered everything for the most part." Anna cocked her head to the side. "How about you? Favorite color?"

"Mine is periwinkle. It has such an interesting name." Elsa flushed slightly and scratched the side of her neck. "You know… for a color."

Anna flashed her a smile. "Periwinkle is a nice color. Although, it's kinda cute you like it for its name rather than just the way it looks."

"I do that a lot," Elsa mumbled.

"What's that?"

"Nothing…"

They drifted into a silence, the TV broadcasting the news the only sound in the room. The anchor was now talking of a car crash that happened on some freeway not too far away from where the bus was driving.

"Well… it's getting late," Elsa said, sliding off the bed. "Good talking to you, Anna. Sweet dreams."

"You too, Els," Anna said, waving her goodbye as she left to room. The roadie chewed on her lip as she glanced down at Mose. "What am I gonna do?" she asked the sloth. "I'm insane, aren't I? Liking Elsa…" Her eyes flickered to the door to ensure it was closed and then back down to her toy. She lowered her voice. "I mean, of _course_ I'm insane. I'm asking a stuffed animal."

Mose was silent, staring back up at her with unblinking brown eyes.

"Don't look at me like that," Anna scoffed. "What do you know? You're a sloth." She blinked and leaned her head back, only to smack the back of it with the shelf. "Awh, fucking shit!"

"Anna, watching your fucking language!" Olaf teased from the other room.

Anna grunted, rubbing the smarting part of her head before getting up to change into her pajamas, switching off the TV in the process.

"I used to be a good girl without a potty mouth," she muttered. "I mean, sure, I'd say damn and hell but… ugh." She took off her shirt and bra before pulling on her sleeping shirt. "Whatever."

Anna pulled back her blankets and sank into bed, cuddling with Mose and turning off the lights.

* * *

They had three concerts in Oklahoma City, all of which went smoothly. On the final night, the band decided to attend another after party since it had actually been a while. Anna willingly followed them into a dive bar that was hosting the party, flashing her band ID at the bartender for her drinks.

She was starting to loosen up around the band ("And about time, too!" Elsa had shouted over the boom of the music) and wanted to enjoy herself. Anna even danced with Olaf and Sitron at one point, laughing as they took turns spinning her around and making stupid faces at her. She and Elsa even danced side by side, both them more or less tipsy.

Marshmallow, however, was the only one who seemed to be glued to the wall, his big blue eyes watching the scene before him. Anna stopped her borderline grinding with Elsa— who was the one to coax Anna into getting a little dirty— and frowned.

"What's the matter, kid?" Elsa called, her voice distant in the noise of the bar.

"Just… gimme a minute," Anna replied, brushing the far more inebriated Elsa off of her— and ignoring the voice in the back of her head to continue the dirty dancing.

The roadie approached Marshmallow, whose attention immediately snapped onto her, a concerned expression on his face.

"What's wrong, Anna?" he wondered. "Is Elsa starting to get too risqué for you?"

Anna cracked a smile. "No, no. She's just being Elsa. I wanted to know if you wanted to dance?"

"I'm not much of a dancer."

"Then, how about we get out of here and get a drink at a quieter bar?" she offered.

Marshmallow raised his white brows at her before smiling and nodding. The two of them left the bar together, the other band members not noticing their leave of absence. Elsa had found a fan to dance with for a while, Olaf chatting up a few new friends, and Sitron demanding for more drinks.

"They're a wild crowd," Marshmallow mused as he and Anna strode down the sidewalk.

"They are indeed," Anna agreed, slightly slurring her words.

"You're a bit drunk," he pointed out. "Do you just want to get back to the bus?"

"No, I suggested to you a while ago that we go get a drink together sometime and I want to live up to that." She patted his big trunk of an arm.

"You remember that?" He sounded surprised.

"Oh, sure! I want to be friends with all you guys," Anna chirped. "Olaf and I have been on track, Elsa has suddenly considered herself to be my best friend, and I'm sure Sitron and I are friends." She shrugged. "But you and I hardly got to spend time with one another since we went shopping together back in…" She blew her lips and sounded like a horse for a second. "Was it Santa Fe?"

"Sounds about right."

They made a turn on the street and found themselves in front of a sports bar that looked mostly empty. He opened the door for her and they entered, sitting themselves down at the bar. Marshmallow ordered them beers, becoming more comfortable in a quieter setting. A baseball game was playing on a TV overhead and he kept his eye on the score every so often during the conversation. He didn't want to appear rude and only pay attention to the screen.

"What's our next stop?" Anna asked him, clinking their bottles together in a toast to nothing in particular. "Oklahoma City was a blur."

He laughed. "It gets like that some days." He took a large swig of his beer before responding to original question. "Next stop is New Orleans."

" _Really_!?" she said, lighting up like a firecracker. "I've always wanted to go there! I have a friend who has her own restaurant there! She was my pen pal in middle school and we just kept talking."

"Is she a kind of friend who'll leave you alone in a bar?" Marshmallow said darkly, still not over the event in Seattle.

"Oh, I'm over that," she told him gently. "They apologized to me. I mean, yeah it was a pretty shitty thing to do, but who knows what really went down. I can hardly remember what made them do it." She smiled. "But no, Tiana isn't one of those people. She's incredibly sweet and her husband is _hilarious_."

"We're playing a couple nights down there," he said, much cheerier than before. "Maybe we can stop in and eat at her place."

"I would _love_ that," Anna sighed. "About time we do something that's nice instead of roaming the streets for junk food and stuff."

"Are you enjoying the tour thus far, though?"

"I am. I'll admit, I was skeptical in joining you guys… but you're all much kinder and considerate than you let on. And I've come to love all of you." She took a drink. "I'm gonna miss touring with you when time is up. You'll drop me off in Arendelle and then return to Wisconsin… if that's where you guys will go."

"Maybe," he said. "But you're impossible for us to forget, Anna." He clapped a bear paw sized hand on her shoulder. "We'll come visit you."

"You better," Anna warned him, wagging a finger in his face. "Or I'll be a creepy Tumblr, Twitter, _and_ Facebook stalker 'til you do. Leave messages like, 'hey guys, remember me?' And slap an evil face on there for effect. Maybe some cryptic messages about how I know where you live but it'll be under a different name. Freak all of you out."

He let out a single bark of laughter. "Please do! I think it will entertain us for a while."

"No it's not fun when you know who it is!" she reasoned.

"You're right, you're right," he chuckled, shaking his big head.

The bar erupted in a loud roar from the few patrons inside, someone hitting a home run in the baseball game. Marshmallow frowned— the team who was winning was not the one he wanted. Anna nursed her beer for a few minutes, the noise dying down in the background.

"Hey, Marshmallow…" She gazed up at him from beneath her eyelashes.

"Hm?"

"How'd you meet Elsa?"

"Oh, it's not an interesting story. Elsa and I met through Olaf. My brother had her over one afternoon. I must have been about thirteen or fourteen when I met her." He clinked his fingernails on the glass bottle. "She was sweet. Wore those glasses and everything back then. She told you about that, right?"

"Yeah. Olaf, too."

He smiled distantly. "She was really something. I crushed on her for about a month."

"Awh!" Anna giggled. "How cute."

"She shot me down, though."

Anna's smile evaporated. "Oh…" She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. "I'm sorry."

"It's no big deal," he said with a massive shrug of his shoulders. "It was a silly little crush that Olaf constantly teased me about. I'm sure he liked her sometime, too."

"Does everyone crush on her!?" Anna groaned, throwing her arms up in exasperation. "Why is she so damn crushable?"

Marshmallow looked at her strangely. "What makes you say that?"

It dawned on Anna that she almost revealed her attraction to Elsa to Marshmallow and decided to clamp her mouth shut before she said anything else stupid.

"Just… her fans," she whimpered before putting the bottle to her lips and taking a large swig, only to have it go down the wrong pipe and making her choke on it.

His eyes widened as he thumped her hard on the back, the poor redhead coughing hard into the crook of her arm.

"You alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah," she croaked, swallowing hard. "I'm good, I'm great. Thank you."

After another round of drinks, they took off to the bus. Anna was getting sleepy with each step, leaning her tiny head on the large arm of her friend. He placed a protective arm around her shoulders and led her to their home. When they arrived, Elsa was passed out on the couch, Olaf in his bunk, and Sitron's arms dangling out of his bunk, almost hitting the guitarist in the face.

"You should get some sleep, kid," Marshmallow whispered to Anna. "See you in the morning on the way to New Orleans."

"I can't wait," Anna gurgled, smiling drunkenly up at him.

* * *

Her hangover wasn't terrible the next morning. She went through her morning routine of taking over the bathroom, showering, brushing her teeth and hair, dressing, and cleaning her piercing. With her pajamas in the drawer and hair pulled back into a lazy ponytail, she entered the front room ready to face the day.

Elsa was in the booth, eating a bowl of cereal with Olaf sitting across from her, also eating cereal. The box was in between them so it gave off the appearance of the two of them in a commercial for Frosted Flakes, Olaf and Elsa playing the roles of siblings who sort of looked like one another.

Marshmallow was beside his brother but was eating some toast, his eyes glued shut with tiredness.

"Good morning," Anna greeted quietly, Sitron's bunk curtains still drawn and indicating he was still snoozing off the night. She slid inside to sit next to Elsa. "How is everyone today?"

"Tired," Marshmallow muttered.

"Hungry," Olaf said through a mouthful of cereal.

"Hungover," Elsa grunted, rubbing her temple.

"Great," Anna smirked. "Are we looking forward to New Orleans?"

"I am!" Olaf grinned, perking up slightly. "I haven't been in the longest time."

"You went to New Orleans!?" Anna gasped, looking at him with newfound respect.

"Yup. I went with the band in high school," he said.

"Aren't you hungry?" Elsa asked Anna, glancing at her. "We have more cereal if you want any."

"Sure," Anna nodded, getting to her feet and grabbing a bowl from the cabinet and a spoon from the drawer. She sat back down and poured herself some cereal, the others staring at her oddly. "What?"

"You're not putting milk in there?" Elsa wondered, pointing at the breakfast for the roadie.

"No, I don't like milk in my cereal," Anna said, blinking and cocking her head to one side.

They gawked at her.

"This… that's not weird," Anna defended firmly, sticking her spoon in the dry cereal. "I just don't like it when they get soggy."

"But the milk is the best part," Olaf argued.

Anna merely rolled her eyes and ate her cereal as it was, eliciting winces from the other three. She told them to knock it off, continuing to enjoy her breakfast in peace. The three band members exchanged incredulous looks before finishing off their own meals.

When Sitron woke up and the dishes were in the sink, they occupied their time with alternating turns on Assassin's Creed. Whenever someone would die, they'd have to pass it off to another player. It was unfortunate for everyone when Elsa started to play because she was actually very good at scaling the walls and jumping from buildings. It took about twenty guards in what was basically Vatican City to finally take her down so Olaf could get a turn.

They made a stop in a small down near the border of Louisiana for lunch and to refill the bus with some gas. Anna took that opportunity to message Tiana on Facebook with news of her arrival in New Orleans that evening.

She got a reply back almost at once, Tiana excitedly inviting Anna and the rest of the band to stay with her while she was in town. She and Naveen, her husband, had plenty of room, according to her and any meals eaten at her restaurant would be free of charge.

"A free place to stay and free meals," Elsa said approvingly when Anna told them of Tiana's generosity. "I like this friend better than your Seattle assholes."

"This'll be the first time Tiana are meeting face-to-face," Anna giddily. "We've video chatted over Facebook a few times but never actually came into contact, of course."

"I can't wait to meet her," Olaf said. "She sounds awesome."

With the bus full of gas and their stomachs full of fast food, they boarded their mobile home and headed off to the bayou that was New Orleans. The closer they got, the more excited Anna became. She was practically vibrating with pent up excitement on the couch, watching Sitron as he attempted to climb the Colosseum in the start-up game of Assassin's Creed.

"Shouldn't we be playing the game that takes place in New Orleans to get in the mood?" Marshmallow suggested.

"I would but we didn't bring that along with us," Elsa said.

"Bummer," Olaf said. "Sitron, you're gonna fall."

"I am not," Sitron grunted, moving the joysticks as he scaled the exterior. "I'll get up there!"

"You're actually gonna fall," Elsa warned him.

"Stop saying that!" Sitron shouted.

As soon as that left his mouth, he moved Ezio just the wrong way so he leapt off the building prematurely, causing him to plummet to the earth.

"Parachute!" Olaf cried.

"We don't have that yet!" Sitron wailed, pressing random buttons.

And with that, Sitron was desynchronized.

"My turn," Elsa said, swiping the remote from him.

* * *

"Hello, New Orleans!" Anna cheered, bursting from the bus as soon as they parked in front of the Tiana's Place restaurant, directions given to Anna a couple hours before. "My name is Anna and I'm ready to love you!"

The sky was a deep navy blue, rolling clouds hanging low in the sky. A few drops of humid rain were falling onto her but she didn't care. It wasn't bad like Seattle was, with rain tumbling from the sky in heaps. She knew that New Orleans, however, could do much more than a simple sprinkle.

"This is so exciting!" she cooed, running in circles on the sidewalk.

She could smell the ocean from where she was standing, Tiana's Place resting near the docks. The restaurant itself looked like a riverboat with a turquoise neon sign bearing the name of the place. The lights were on, casting an orange glow on the area around the bus. A few people were walking in and out, indicating that it was still open for business.

"Wow," Elsa said, impressed. "That's one pretty lookin' building."

"What's that smell?" Olaf said, his stomach growling. "I want everything in there. It smells so good."

"Well, c'mon, you guys! Let's go inside!" Anna encouraged, beckoning them over as she started rushing towards the entrance.

The four plus Oaken followed her into Tiana's Place, immediately greeted with the sounds of jazz and scrumptious smells of foods of all kinds. The place was packed in spite of it being ten o'clock at night, waiters and waitresses running around with trays stuffed with delicious looking gumbos and beignets.

"Well fuck," breathed Sitron.

"The band is great," Elsa complimented. "Who is that playing the trumpet?"

The stage was on the far side of the restaurant but the music was brilliant enough to capture her attention. The man playing the trumpet was on the heavier side with coffee colored skin. His black hair was cut short and he was sporting a clean trimmed beard. He wore an olive green suit that looked as if it came from the nineteen twenties but was rocking it perfectly.

His fingers were controlling the trumpet with a magic Elsa greatly respected, so deep into his talent and love for music. His improvisation was incredible, the band following along with him in sync.

A short scream cut Elsa out of her examination of the trumpet player. She turned her attention to a thin woman rushing through the crowd of people in a festive flappers outfit, fitting in with the rest of the ambiance of the restaurant.

"Tiana!" Anna cried at the woman, opening her arms and enveloping the woman in a fierce hug.

"Anna!" was the reply. "It's so good to finally meet to in person, honey!"

"Likewise!" Anna giggled. "Oh my gosh, Tia, this place is Fabulous with a capital F!" They pulled apart, both eyes sparkling with joy. "I really can't believe I'm here!"

"Well, you're here," Tiana said, laughing. "And this is Dry Ice, I presume." She sized up the band with a kind smile. "Yes, I've heard all about you from my friend Charlotte. She'll most likely want to meet you all. I'm more of a jazz fan, myself."

"We noticed," Sitron said. "The band is actually pretty great."

"Who's the trumpet player?" Elsa asked.

"Oh, that's Louis," Tiana said. "He and I go way back. He's been playing the trumpet since he was little. Very passionate about it. He and his band, The Firefly Five Plus Lou, have been playing here for a long time." She put her hands on hips. "But where are my manners? You're in my town now! You deserve a proper meal. Have you all eaten dinner yet?"

"No, we're starving!" Olaf jumped in, clutching his stomach.

Tiana grinned. "Well, then you need some good food in those stomachs." She called off to her right to a man as he served a table their dinner. "Naveen, hon!"

The man called glanced up and held one finger in the air to tell her to give him a minutes. As soon as he finished, he bounded over and smiled brightly.

"What is it, lilypad?" he asked affectionately.

"We need a table for our esteemed guests," Tiana said, gesturing to Dry Ice.

"Is that so?" Naveen said, eyeing the band up and down. "Then they need the VIP section right in front of the stage!"

"Sounds great," Elsa said, actually smiling and feeling a warmth of welcome in her stomach. It was a nice change from the ice cold anxiety she had been feeling since Texas. "Thank you so much."

"It's not a problem," Naveen said, bowing deeply and theatrically to them, Tiana rolling her eyes at him. "Shall we, princess?"

"Which girl are you talking to?" Anna said.

"Yeah, 'cause I'm no princess," Elsa smirked, nudging Anna in the ribs. "This one is as princess-y as you can get."

Anna flushed and pouted at her, pretending to look offended when she actually thrilled at the thought of Elsa calling her princess. Tiana excused herself from the group to go and help out at another table and eventually the kitchens as Naveen led them over to their table.

"Louis!" Naveen called up tot he trumpet player. "Play our guests the best jazz that New Orleans has to offer!"

* * *

Elsa was belting out the last note of "Let It Go," stuck in a power stance with her eyes screwed shut. The crowd beneath her was cheering like crazy, jumping up and down, chanting her name as if she were some god-like entity. Elsa finally dropped to her knees and thrust a fist in the air, the song over, earning an explosion of praise.

Tiana, Naveen, Louis, and Charlotte were sitting side stage with Anna, mouths hanging open in awe— Lottie having to lean against the wall to stop her from passing out.

"You get to see this every day? Naveen said to Anna, eyebrows raised.

"Not every single day but a majority of the time," Anna confirmed. "The song has… it's become a little much for me but I deal with it."

"It's all Lottie has been playing for months on end," Louis mumbled, earning a dignified swat on the arm by the blonde.

As the cheers died down, Elsa and the band rushing off stage with elation written all over their faces, Anna led their guests to the dressing room so they could all talk without shouting over the noise.

With everybody settled inside, water bottles being passed around to them, they began to strike up idle conversation. They were all planning on leaving to meet up with Tiana's friend Ray so he could show them where he worked, claiming he and Anna had very similar jobs and insisted he could give her some tips on making the work easier. But before they could, they were giving Dry Ice a moment to catch their breath.

Olaf was chatting Lottie up politely, grinning at her enthusiasm over meeting him. She was gushing about how she absolutely adored him the most out of all the them, which had initial shocked Olaf because he had never had such a dedicated fan. Anna could spy Sitron steaming in the corner with slight jealousy, mumbling over his water.

Before she could approach him, Elsa had stumbled over and threw an arm around Anna's shoulder.

"So, kiddo," she said, "how are you liking your visit to New Orleans so far?"

"It's been wonderful," Anna replied honestly. "I'm honestly so excited to see what Ray has to show me."

"Let me tell you something, though," Elsa said wisely, tapping Anna on the side of her head with her other hand. "I definitely like these friends more than those assholes back in Seattle."

"You didn't even meet them. And can't we just let it go?"

Elsa snorted and sang, " _let it go, let it go!_ " before Anna elbowed her in the ribs.

"Awh you're so mean to me," Elsa teased, pressing an overly affectionate kiss to Anna's temple, leaving the roadie slightly stunned.

"You're one to talk," Anna managed to stutter out before she wriggled her way out of Elsa's side hug.

Elsa was snickering as she knocked back a swig of water. Anna decided to be a little shit right back to Elsa and hit the bottom of her bottle so the water went into Elsa's face.

"Fuck!" Elsa swore, wiping off her wet face and glaring at the laughing redhead.

"Whoops," Anna smirked.

"Well played," Elsa sniffed, capping her drink. "I'll get you back somehow."

"Challenge accepted," Anna said.

* * *

Ray worked backstage in a theatre where many low budget and unknown plays took place. One of the actresses in the acting troupe was his girlfriend, Evangeline, and he was very excited to introduce her to the newcomers.

He was waiting for them outside the stadium where the band was playing, his pale face lighting up at the sight of his friends walking up to him. He waved enthusiastically, as if that would beckon them over faster than the pace they were going.

Ray was a small, stringy man with bright red hair and messy scruff on his chin. He was missing several teeth, Anna noted, when he smiled and his brown eyes were slightly bloodshot yet full of life. When he spoke, it was a slurred southern accent but it was still incredibly charming for a character like him.

"How ya'll been?" he greeted as they stopped in front of him. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes, let's!" Tiana said cheerfully.

The group moved as one, their voices filling the muggy New Orleans air. It was a good change from bar hopping or partying, Elsa admitted. And Anna was excited to see the backstage of a theatre and learn some of the ropes so that was a plus.

As a small, beat up theatre came into view, Ray stopped on the sidewalk and sighed dreamily.

"There she is," he whistled, his eyes drifting up to the theatre's balcony where a very pretty girl with golden blonde hair stood. "The sweetest gal in all creation."

"That's Evangeline?" Anna whispered.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Ray said, gazing at Anna.

"Gorgeous," Anna breathed with appreciation.

"Wow, Ray," Sitron chuckled. "She sure knows how to pick a diamond in the rough—"

Elsa elbowed the bassist. "Hush."

Evangeline glanced down at the large group outside the theatre and smiled, her blue eyes sparkling like stars in the sky. Ray— being incredibly dramatic but romantic nevertheless— got down on one scrawny knee and placed his hands on his heart.

"Ma Belle Evangeline," he said to her. " _Je t'adore_."

Elsa leaned close to Anna's ear and said, "I adore you."

" _Je t'aime_ ," Ray said.

"I love you," Elsa said.

Anna flushed and threw Elsa a terribly embarrassed and astonished look. Elsa rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest.

"I'm just translating!" she defended with a scoff. "I told you I speak French, remember?"

And as if Ray was in a Disney movie, he started to serenade Evangeline with a love ballad, Louis playing along on his trumpet. All thoughts to the theatre tour were gone from their minds. Olaf decided to dance with Lottie in the middle of the empty road, the girl giggling like crazy. Naveen and Tiana struck up a small waltz themselves. Marshmallow and Sitron looked on, the two patting out a beat on their hips in time with the song.

Elsa held out her hand to Anna, smiling softly.

"Want to dance?" she said.

"Wait, what? Who are you and what have to done to Elsa?" Anna demanded.

Elsa shrugged. "Let's get carried away for a night, yeah?"

"I. . ." Anna was unsure, almost too shy to give a response.

"Gimme a chance, kid," Elsa said, taking Anna's hand and leading her in a clumsy sway, the redhead rather flustered.

"This just… what's happening?" Anna wondered, her Docs stumbling over Elsa's combat boots.

"I have no idea," Elsa laughed. "But I think I like it."

"New Orleans, man," Anna said.

It was the most random, ridiculous, and corny thing Anna had ever experienced. Dancing with Elsa in the middle of a New Orleans street with someone serenading his love with all his heart. Ray continued to sing, Evangeline grinning down at him with red cheeks. Louis and Marshmallow exchanged wise looks and continued to accompany Ray in his song.

They allowed themselves to be taken away in the magic of New Orleans for one night.

* * *

 **This chapter was cheesy, cliché but so** _**fucking fun to write** _ **.**

**It's a filler, my loves. It's not supposed to move to plot that much further. But worry not, next Sunday will introduce a new chapter and the true Elsanna begins. I promise.**

**idktheymighttrysomethingwaitwhatididntsayanything**

**There'll be some drama, though.**

**Fav/Follow/Review (no flames, please)**

**See you next time!**


	14. Demons

**I. Am. So. Excited. For. This. Chapter.**

**My loves… enjoy.**

* * *

The goodbye between Tiana and Anna was tearful and they were struggling to let each other go so Anna could board the bus and they could move along to the next stop in North Carolina.

It took all of Anna's willpower to step away from her friend, wipe underneath her eyes, and bit her farewell. Tiana bombarded Anna with a command to visit New Orleans again as soon as she got the chance. Anna promised her, crossing her heart, and made a mental note to eat more of Tiana's food the next time she visited. The rest of the band shook hands and exchanged hugs with Tiana's little gang, wishing them well. Lottie was literally sobbing into Louis' shoulder, autographs in her dainty grip. Olaf had to pry the girl off of him awkwardly when she embraced him, not wanting to hurt the poor girl's feelings in any way.

Tiana gave Anna a kind peck on the cheek before the redhead had to follow Elsa onto the bus. She watched with tears in her eyes as Oaken pulled away from Tiana's Place, the restaurant getting smaller and smaller as they left along the busy streets.

"You'll see her again, kid," Elsa assured, squeezing Anna's shoulder. "Hell, maybe if you join us on our next tour, we'll swing by New Orleans."

"Yeah! Besides, I need some more of that gumbo," Olaf said, rubbing his stomach pleasantly. "I shoulda taken some for the road."

"I think it's better fresh," Marshmallow said.

"I'd take it in any form. As long as it's Tiana's," Olaf replied, sinking into the couch. "Alright, who's up for a round of Mario Kart?"

They had a long while until they all reached North Carolina so it was a long road trip of moping around the giant mechanical motor monster. Anna took to studying again, burying her face into her work and trying to keep her mind off of things. Elsa locked herself in her room in order to attempt to write a song. The boys were playing games or talking in the front room, Anna occasionally joining them when she wanted to take a break from her heavy books and graphite pencils.

Elsa only showed her face once for lunch that afternoon they had left New Orleans behind. She ate, talked with them for a while, and then retreated back inside. Anna remained in the booth with a light reading book in her grip to put her mind at ease, staring after the punk.

"She's really stressing herself out with that song," Anna mused.

"The thing about Elsa," Sitron said, shoving his side into Olaf as they raced against one another, "is that she's a hard core perfectionist. The song has to be perfect. One hundred percent, no flaws, no hairline mistakes. If Elsa isn't satisfied, then the song is garbage."

"Kai gets really frustrated with that," Marshmallow said from his bunk.

"Elsa claims that perfection is a gift and a curse," Olaf added, fighting Sitron back.

"Why doesn't she get someone else to write her songs?" Anna wondered.

"Because Elsa feels that it's not authentic enough," Olaf chuckled. "I told her that even the greatest singers have their work written for them sometimes but she refuses to believe it."

"Arrogant," Sitron grumbled.

Anna pursed her lips at him but didn't say anything else, her eyes falling down to the words on the page.

Night was falling as they crossed over into Alabama, the bus starting to shudder, in need of gas. Oaken was also beginning to doze off and he wanted to ensure his passengers were safe. So he pulled into a rest stop and filled the bus up with fuel, the band and Anna poking around a liquor store together.

"Million dollar question, Anna," Elsa said to her, a shelf in between the two of them.

"Hm?" Anna said, perusing the chip section with lidded eyes.

"Snickers or Baby Ruth?" Elsa held up the two full sized bars in question, pressing her lips together in a form of seriousness.

"Uh…" Anna raised her gaze up to stare at Elsa. "I'd go with the Snickers…"

"Wrong!"

"What? No. You gave me to options—"

"There's always the option of neither, baby." Elsa smirked, putting back the candy bars. "And when there's neither, you can pick up one of these devils." She lifted a king-sized Hershey's bar. "Wanna split it with me? You said you like chocolate."

Anna smiled. "Oh, sure! Sounds great. Do you want some of my chips?" Anna showed off her Doritos bag.

"Yeah, it'll be great," Elsa said, rounding the shelf to meet up with the roadie. "We'll get stoned, have some chips and chocolate and then—"

" _Elsa_!" Anna complained.

The blonde laughed. "I'm joking, kid! Chill out."

"But can we still have chips and chocolate?" Anna squeaked.

"Of _course_ we can have chips and chocolate. In fact—" Elsa returned to the candy isle and took out five more bars of the Hershey's chocolate. "We can have three each, kid. How does that sound?"

"Divine," Anna sighed.

"I'm so glad," Elsa teased, putting an arm around Anna's shoulders as they headed over to the line, the three boys still mulling over what they wanted to snack on. Anna allowed herself to snuggle up to Elsa as the punk continued to speak. "Just remind me to stop by a gym soon. After all this chocolate I may need a long session of punching that bag."

"Pssh, chocolate isn't gonna do anything," Anna scoffed. "It's a gift from the heavens so what harm can it do?"

"I won't be able to stop eating it."

"Touché, Elsa. Been there, done that."

Elsa snorted and tossed the candy onto the counter, grabbing Anna's chip bag along with them.

"I'm buying," she insisted.

"Ooh, how noble of you, Madame Elsa," Anna laughed. "Paying for my chips. No wonder you make all the girls swoon."

"You better believe it, baby," Elsa winked, pulling out her wallet.

With items bought and the band regrouped in front of the store, they returned to the bus for a couple of movies, the five of them huddled together on the couch while Oaken snoozed in his big seat. The light of the film fell gently across the glowing eyes of each young adult, captivating them in the plot line.

Somewhere in the middle of the second movie, Sitron passed out on the second couch, Olaf and Marshmallow began a game of cards, Elsa had returned to her room, and Anna was on her phone, not paying much attention to the film anymore. It was the cue to shut everything down and head to bed.

So Olaf kicked Sitron awake as Anna bid them goodnight, knocking on Elsa's door and telling her the same. She earned a soft response, feeling her stomach warm up against her will. But she went with the feeling and went to her bedroom for the night.

* * *

"You guys!" Elsa shouted from her room, bursting from the confines with her laptop in her hands. "Kai just sent me an email!"

They were in another pitstop but had landed in Atlanta this time around. Anna had departed from the bus to go grocery shopping, finding that their water bottle level was dangerously low. So it was just Dry Ice on the bus, Oaken having accompanied Anna so he could pick up a few things for himself as well.

"About what?" Olaf asked as Elsa threw herself into the booth beside him.

"The posters!" Elsa cheered. "Our first official posters!"

"No fucking way!" Sitron shouted, cramming himself into the booth so Elsa was squished between him and Olaf.

"Yeah, but he wants to Skype us first," Elsa said, logging into her Skype. "He said he wants to see our faces."

"I can't wait!" Olaf clapped as his brother lumbered over to hover behind the three.

Elsa clicked on Kai's name to call and he popped up on the screen, beaming and clasping his hands together in anticipation.

"Ah, yes, Dry Ice!" he chirped. "How are we all this fine day?"

"Spectacular," Elsa said, rolling her eyes. "Kai, can't we get to the point?"

"Of course, of course," Kai sighed, the sounds of typing and clicking coming from his end of the line. "Now these will hang during your big night in New York. I trust, Elsa, that you'll be finished with at least… one song?"

Elsa laughed nervously. "Workin' on it…"

"Hm." Kai sent the email with the pictures and nodded. "Alright, Elsa. Open the files."

The boys gathered even closer to her so they could get a proper look at their posters. Elsa clicked on the first one to reveal a full body image of herself singing into a mic. The background looked as if a blizzard was raging behind her, her name in black stamped at the bottom.

She went to the next one where she was glancing over her shoulder almost lazily at whoever was staring at the poster, silhouettes of the other band members behind her. The band name was across Elsa's back and the nights they would be playing at the bottom.

As she continued to click, the boys realized how little they appeared in any of the posters. They didn't even have one dedicated to them respectively. Elsa, however, didn't seem to notice that at all and kept clicking, her face lighting up.

"Oh, Kai," she whispered. "They're great."

"Kai, what the actual fuck?" Olaf barked.

"What's the problem?" Kai asked, his brow furrowing.

"What's the problem!?" Sitron repeated. "Why is Elsa the attention whore? Where are our posters?"

"Guys, they're fine," Elsa defended.

"Yeah, you'd think so because your face is plastered all over 'em!" Sitron snapped.

"Are there anymore?" Marshmallow said to their manager.

Kai colored. "Ah… well… no. Elsa's photo-shoot proved to be the most successful—"

"Are you telling me I stood stalk still with that bass around my neck for hours on end for _nothing_!?" Sitron wailed.

"Sitron, calm down," Elsa tried to console.

"No!" Olaf shot at her. "We're a part of the band, too, and we deserve some recognition for once!"

"Hey, do you think _I_ make these decisions?" Elsa snarled.

"You should say something," Marshmallow grunted.

"I can't believe you're that far up your own ass!" Sitron growled, scooting out of the booth to get as far away from Elsa as possible.

"Don't you go blaming me!" she cried, following him out of the booth, Olaf coming in third.

"Uh… I can see this is personal," Kai mumbled.

"Kai, you better not fucking run like a coward!" Olaf yelled. "We still have a bone to pick with you, too!"

But their manager had already logged off, leaving Elsa to fend for herself in this battle. Elsa rolled her eyes and kicked at the ground.

"Whatever," she said. "It's what's gonna happen, you guys. It's not my fault I'm more popular."

"You're more popular!?" Sitron shouted, flailing his hands wildly. "Well, no fucking shit! We barely get any recognition from the fans! Elsa, Elsa, Elsa! It's all about pretty, perfect Elsa!"

"I'm just giving what the fans want!" Elsa spat.

"Elsa, think practically!" Olaf begged, moving forward so he could face her. "Yes, you're popular 'cause you're the lead singer and everything. We get it. We've also been putting up with your inflating ego ever since the band started to get good reviews. It's a natural response, we understand!" His fists clenched. "But I'll be damned if we don't get some posters to ourselves! We're not asking much, are we?"

"You heard what Kai said," Elsa said stubbornly. "These are the final prints! I don't have control over—"

"That's the thing," Marshmallow said quietly. "You _do_ have control. You just choose not to use it."

"What are you talking about?" Elsa demanded.

"You can call Kai and tell him you're not happy about the posters and to pull the entire thing!" Sitron suggested harshly, stomping over and poking her hard in the chest.

"I'm not gonna do that!" Elsa said, smacking away his hand. "It's been processed and approved!"

"By you!" Olaf pointed out.

"Do you know the kind of trouble we'd be in if we just decided to get rid of the entire thing?" Elsa said, pulling at her hair. "The money it would cost!?"

"Boo-fucking-hoo!" Sitron threw his hands in the air.

"Elsa, use your common sense," Marshmallow pleaded. "We're really not asking much considering…"

"Considering what?" Elsa growled at him, making the sensitive guy flinch. "What, Marshmallow!? Pray tell me!"

"Don't yell at my brother!" shouted Olaf, marching in between Elsa and Marshmallow.

"I'm head honcho and I call the shots!" Elsa said firmly. "And the posters remain as is! That's final!"

There was a ringing silence, the words settling over them like dust after an earthquake. Elsa's chest was heaving and she had tears shining in her eyes. Marshmallow was fumbling with his hands, Olaf was glaring at Elsa, and Sitron was tapping his feet impatiently.

Something was heavy in the air… something left unsaid and everyone could feel it. The arrogance of Elsa was painstakingly obvious to them all— all but Elsa herself. She merely sniffed and straightened her back in a dignified manner, pushing by Olaf, grabbing her laptop, and storming into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

The boys stood, rooted to the floor. Olaf let out a frustrated noise and kicked the door to the bathroom. Marshmallow leaned his great body against the kitchen counter, his big eyes meeting Sitron's tired ones.

"I don't know what we're gonna do with her," Marshmallow voiced shakily. "This isn't the first fight we've had…"

"Right but they never involved Elsa hogging the limelight," Olaf said, running his hands over his face.

"Where's Anna when you need her?" Marshmallow whispered, unheard by the other two. "She'd sort this out."

"I can't take this anymore," Sitron said, shaking his head. "Seriously…"

"What are you talking about?" Olaf quirked a brow at the bassist as he started to pace.

"I love Elsa. She's an amazing singer and a loyal friend but I can't be around her if she's going to allow this ego of hers be the only thing this band stands on." He ripped off his gloves and threw them onto the ground. "I wear these stupid things for her! I play along with all her shenanigans! And what do I… what do _we_ get? Squat!"

Olaf and Marshmallow stared down at the gloves solemnly. They knew very well that Sitron had a valid point. They too were tiring of Elsa's queen-like arrogance… and she wasn't backing down. She wasn't even defending them in something that could be handled so easily.

It wasn't too much to ask, Marshmallow was right. Posters shouldn't have been that big of a deal at all.

"What are you thinking, Sitron?" Olaf questioned.

"I'm done," Sitron croaked.

"What?" Marshmallow gaped.

"I'm finished. I don't want to get to New York and only see her face plastered everywhere." The bassist folded his arms across his chest. "I don't think I even want to get to New York at all. No one would be there to see us. Just Elsa…"

Olaf bit his lip and nodded slowly. "You're right. If she can't see past this tiny thing, then I don't see why we should stick around to be her whipping boys."

"Let's not be hasty," Marshmallow warned.

"Marsh, do you wanna be pushed around by Elsa anymore? We'll give her an ultimatum. It's either she tells Kai no about the posters or we're gone," Olaf said, removing his own gloves. "She can't do this on her own and she knows that."

"Fine by me," agreed Sitron, heading over to her room. He rapped hard on the door and called, "Elsa, open up! We need to talk!"

There was a thumping noise and then the door was pulled open, revealing a very disgruntled Elsa.

"What?" she hissed.

"Elsa, we've had it up to here with this," Olaf told her.

"Yeah," Sitron added. "We need you to choose right now—"

"—Us… or the posters," Olaf offered, his palms facing up.

Elsa's brows inched together and she gaped at him. "You're joking."

"No. Not joking," Olaf said grimly. "Elsa, we're fed up with so much, you have no idea."

Elsa looked from Olaf to Sitron to Marshmallow and back again. She leaned on the doorframe and scoffed, appearing rather betrayed.

"You guys, I'm not going to sink to your level of bargaining," she said sharply. "The posters are there to stay. I'm sorry."

"I am too," Olaf said, grimacing.

"We're done, Elsa," Sitron said.

Elsa's face fell. "You were serious?"

"Do you think we wanted to joke about something like this?" Sitron replied, turning around. "I'm calling my dad and hopefully he'll send me some cash to fly back home."

"Make it three," Olaf added, following Sitron out.

"H-Hey!" Elsa called after them as they started to leave. "You can't do this! We're a band!"

"Yeah, we are," Sitron sighed. "But last time I checked, there wasn't an 'i' in band… and it certainly wasn't spelled e-l-s-a."

"You can't go!" Elsa yelled. "Come back here! We still have a tour to do!"

They ignored her, leaving Elsa and Marshmallow in the bus. Elsa looked at him helplessly, her face searching his for answers.

"Marshmallow?" she whimpered.

He closed his eyes and peeled off his gloves, letting them fall to the floor as he tailed after his brother and his friend. Elsa was left standing alone in the middle of the front room, everything looking far too big for her on her own. She didn't know how long she had been standing there. It could have been seconds, minutes… hell, it could have been hours. But it felt like an eternity to her and she was devastated at what she had done to reap her of her dearest friends.

"What… what have I…" Elsa swallowed hard and covered her mouth with her gloved hand to hide a choking sob, staggering backward in horror. "Guys! W-wait! I was wrong!"

She made a break for it, rushing towards the front door and onto the sidewalk. She turned right and left but they weren't in sight. Elsa felt terror creep up on her and she let out a furious scream, yanking hard at her platinum locks before retreating into the bus, hating herself.

* * *

"Oh my goodness!" Anna chirped as she climbed onto the bus with bags of groceries in her arms. "You guys wouldn't _believe_ what I almost did! Really, you're all gonna have a nice laugh at me." She entered the front room, giggling. "I swear, I really can be the biggest klutz…" Anna trailed off, realizing that there was nobody present to hear her tall tale.

She peered around the area, noticing three pairs of gloves abandoned on the floor. Cocking her head to one side, Anna scuttled over to the booth to rest the grocery bags on the table.

"Hello?" Anna called out needlessly. "Are you guys playing a trick on me? 'Cause if you are… I don't get it."

There was a small noise coming from the back and Anna froze. She strained her ears and the noise came again. It was minuscule and almost impossible to hear but it sounded like a sniffle to her. Anna picked up the gloves and stuffed them in her jacket pocket as she headed towards Elsa's bedroom.

"Els? Elsa, what's wrong?" Anna asked, knocking on the door.

There wasn't a response.

"Elsa, please, I know you're in there," she said, reaching for the knob. "I'm coming in now… you better be decent."

When the door swung open, Anna was astonished to what she found inside. Elsa was curled up in the corner of her bed, head buried in her arms and legs pulled up to her chest. Her shoulders were shaking, Anna making the quick deduction that Elsa was _crying_. Actually crying!

"Elsa, my god!" Anna gasped, rushing over and crawling onto the bed to meet up with the punk. "What's wrong? What happened!?"

"Why am I such a fuck up, Anna?" came a small voice.

"What? I don't understand—"

"Why am I such a fucking _fuck up_!" Elsa threw her head back and kneaded her fingers into her temple. "I screw everything up! I am the worst person on the face of the planet! I shouldn't be here! I am absolutely—!"

"Hey, hey, hey!" Anna cried, cupping Elsa's face in her hands kindly. "Elsa, look at me… please, calm down." She stroked Elsa's pale, tear stained face with her thumbs. The blonde's breathing was ragged but she met Anna's eyes nevertheless, feeling a slight relief wash over her. "Now," Anna cooed, offering her a soft smile. "Tell me what happened."

"…They quit," Elsa announced hoarsely.

"Wait, what?"

"Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow… they quit. Tour's over, Anna. I can't do this by myself… and it's all my fault. Because I'm a stubborn, fucking moron!"

"Tell me everything."

And so Elsa explained to her about the pictures and how they got mad at her. She even went on to say that she analyzed why and admitted that she realized how selfish she was being. Anna let Elsa ramble, the poor girl crumbling right in front of her eyes. When the punk finished, she pressed her leather bound palms into her face, sniffling thickly.

"Now I'm all alone," she finished.

"No, you're not," Anna said. "I'm still here. And Oaken… who is actually supposed to be back by now but he ran off to get something and… never mind." Anna climbed off the bed. "And you know what? I don't think I'm very satisfied with the results. It wasn't just you who was being selfish, it was them, too in a way. I understand their frustration but I'll be damned they quit on you."

"What do you expect me to do?" Elsa asked her bitterly, picking at a hole in her jeans.

"Oh, you're not gonna do anything!" Anna left the room for a second and then returned with a half pint Dulce De Leche flavored Häagen-Dazs and a spoon. "Eat your feelings, Elsa." She handed the ice cream to Elsa with a goofy grin. "I'll be back, I promise."

"What are you planning?" Elsa said, raising a suspicious eyebrow and sticking her spoon into the frozen treat.

"You'll see," Anna said sweetly, leaning over and kissing Elsa's head, causing the punk seize up in shock. She had never been on the receiving end of the kisses before.

Without any further explanation to her plan, Anna headed out of the bus and pulled out her phone.

She entered the text message app and found Olaf's name in the list of her recent sends and shot him a quick text, hoping he wouldn't question her sudden enthusiasm.

' _hey olaff im all done with grocery shopping. you wanna grab a drink or somethin_ '

Anna held her breath and waited for him to reply. Not thirty seconds later, she received a text back:

' _sure thing kiddo! me and the guys are at this bar called the local. its a few blocks from the bus just go right and then straight on from there_ '

' _awesomesauce im on my way! :D_ '

With a triumphant smirk, Anna shot Oaken a text to keep and eye on Elsa after he returned to the bus before she pocketed her phone and headed down the street.

* * *

The bar was a low brow dive bar with sitting areas and foosball tables abound. She glanced around the bar until she found her friends sitting on one of the deflating leather couches, chatting and drinking beers. Anna puffed out her chest and marched over to them, not bothering to sit down.

"Hey!" she barked.

"Hey, Anna!" Olaf greeted cheerily, waving his bare hand at her.

"Who was the genius who decided that the band should break up?" she snapped, getting right down to business.

Olaf and Sitron exchanged looks before pointing to one another in unison. Marshmallow sunk into himself, cusping his bottle like a child. Anna immediately removed her right glove, raised her hand, and smacked both the guitarist and the bassist across the face. The drummer winced in sympathy as his friends yelped out in shock and pain.

"You guys are idiots!" Anna yelled, drawing the attention of a few drinkers.

"Fuck you, Anna, you weren't even there!" Sitron shouted back.

"Elsa told me what happened!" Anna talked over him before he could continue any further. "I come back from shopping and see her fetal on the bed, crying her eyes out and hating herself! She feels so awful right now and, yes, she admits it! She was selfish. She _is_ selfish! She's _Elsa_!" Anna shoved her hand back in her glove, her hand stinging slightly from the rough faces she had to smack. "But at least she has some common sense to realize her mistakes."

"Anna, listen," Olaf said weakly, rubbing his smarting cheek. "Elsa wasn't sticking up for us and she's done this many times before. We're growing tired of it. We're a part of the band, too."

"And we deserve as much recognition as she does," Sitron added.

Marshmallow remained taciturn, not wanting to get punished by Anna's wrath.

"I agree with you, believe me," Anna said, though much gentler. "And I'm going to sit us all down with Kai on Skype and talk this through, do you understand me? He's a jackass for making Elsa decide on the posters alone. It should be a unanimous vote between all of you." She folded her arms across her chest. "And I'm going to tell Elsa that she needs to respect you more."

"What makes you think she'll listen to you?" Sitron scoffed.

"I'll _make_ her listen," Anna said darkly, sending chills through each of them.

"Anna, here's another snag, though," Marshmallow finally spoke up. "Kai has a point in making all the posters about Elsa… we don't have any fans personally. It's all about Elsa. Do you see any Olaf T-shirts or posters dedicated to me or Sitron?" He shifted in his seat. "It's just a popularity stunt… to get people to come."

"Sure you have fans!" Anna said, raising her brows. "I had these girls in my Econ class last semester who wouldn't stop talking about Sitron!" The bassist blinked at her in confusion. "Lottie from New Orleans, oh, she was _all over_ Olaf!" Olaf flushed and nodded numbly. "Marshmallow, I saw a few bikers with white leather jackets the other week or so and they were all talking about you." He let out a tiny smile, flattered. "Just because Elsa's fan base seems bigger than yours doesn't mean your fans don't exist. Listen, I want you to be honest with me about this… don't you think there are some people who know a band but only remember the name of the lead singer or, perhaps, one member's name?"

The boys exchanged looks before they nodded slowly, wondering where she was going with this.

"Exactly!" Anna said, spreading her arms. "No Doubt? I only know Gwen Stefani's name! Guns and Roses? Slash. That's it. I don't know anybody else. I don't even know all the names of One Direction even though I babysat this girl who was in love with them. Harry, I know… Then… Zack? I don't remember anything else. The only names I can recognize fully are John, Paul, Ringo, and George!" She sighed and dropped her shoulders. "You guys shouldn't be recognized just by your names, though. You should be recognized by the name of the _band_ and the good you do and what you stand for. There's so much you guys have done for so many people… and you have such a fantastic future ahead of you.

"If you're gonna let another act of Elsa's selfishness ruin everything for you guys and your career… maybe you're not as special as I thought you were." Anna sniffled and hugged her arms to her chest. "You guys mean a lot to me and if you drop everything now… I would be losing a family." Tears swam in her teal eyes and they stared at her in alarm, all sitting up in an effort to comfort her but she shook her head at them. "I'll leave it up to you but just know that you're still in the early days of your career, your first tour. There is so much to be accomplished."

She dipped her hand into her jacket pocket and tossed the gloves into Olaf's lap.

"Anna," Olaf whimpered.

"We were just… Elsa is…" Sitron trailed off, downcast and guilty.

Marshmallow stared down at the floor, unsure of what to say.

Anna wiped underneath her eyes and turned around, leaving the bar in silence and leaving her friends with a choice.

* * *

Somehow she managed to get Elsa to come out of her bedroom and sit with her in the booth. They finished off the pint of Häagen-Dazs together without speaking. Elsa's eyes were red, itchy, and puffy but she had managed to pull herself together. After Anna told her what she said to the boys, Elsa agreed that it was the best thing to do for the time being.

All they could to was wait.

Oaken was leaving them be, relaxing in his driver's chair and silently hoping that everything would work out. They would be behind schedule is this whole ordeal didn't get resolved by the end of the day… not that it would matter. If it was left alone, there would be no tour to continue.

Suddenly, there was a clearing of a throat, causing the two girls to look up from the empty cardboard pint. Standing in the doorway between the front room and the entrance was the rest of Dry Ice, the gloves back on and apologies written on their faces. Elsa scooted out of the booth and stared at them with anticipation.

"I suppose we took things too far," Olaf said.

"And I don't think it's very fair to have you do the tour alone, posters or no posters," Sitron said.

"We're sorry, Elsa," Marshmallow finished.

Elsa's lip quivered before she ran at them, Olaf opening up his arms for a warm hug, the blonde falling into it and crying into his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry!" she wailed. "I'm so, so, so, sorry! I should have fought for you, I should have been a better friend, I should have… I should have… I'm sorry!"

The other two gathered around and entered a group hug.

"I'll call Kai first thing in to m-morning," she promised. "A-and sort this all out-t-t. Anna's r-right, you _do_ n-need more attention. You're a p-part of the band!"

"We forgive you, Els," Olaf assured. "We would have never gotten this far if it weren't for you."

"We wouldn't have come back if it weren't for Anna," Sitron reminded them all.

"Oh! Uh…" Anna flushed and rubbed the back of her neck. "It was no biggie. I just—"

But she was cut off by Marshmallow yanking her over into the group hug.

So with everything patched up with the band and some tears were shed in relief, Oaken joyously shifted the bus into gear and headed out to North Carolina.

On the ride there, Anna tucked herself away in her bedroom and watched the road move from her window, giving the band some privacy so they can recuperate their emotions and discuss the matter of the posters on a much more level headed state.

Anna had stripped herself of the gloves and skinny jeans and was sitting on her pillow with her knees drawn to her chest in an old T-shirt, a pair of comfy shorts, and socks. Mose's head was sticking out from beneath her pillow, his furry face smiling up at her. She was tired and achey, today proving to be more stressful than she had originally intended.

There was a soft knock on her door and Elsa opened it, poking her head inside.

"May I join you?" she asked.

"Sure," Anna approved, sending her a grin. "Sit down." She gestured to the other side of the bed.

Elsa did so, leaning her back against the wall and stretching out her legs.

"I have to thank you, Anna," she said. "Without you, we wouldn't be on our way… we would be fucked…" The corners of her mouth twitched. "I never knew you'd be so important to all of us."

"Neither did I," Anna admitted.

Elsa sighed and ran a gloved hand through her hair. "I also have something really stupid to tell you?"

"Oh?"

"I figured something out a while ago after doing some calculations and looking back on dates… I don't know if I told you— maybe I did— about me exploring my sexuality a while back?"

"Probably. What are you talking about?"

"Well, I discovered that you dated Hans around the same time his family took us on as a sponsor. And remember when I told you that I tended to like things for their name rather than what it is?"

"We were talking about the color periwinkle, Elsa… that's… how is _that_ relevant to this conversation? Where are you going with this?"

"I dated someone for their namesake…" Elsa took in a deep breath. "And I feel awful about it because I…" She averted her eyes from Anna's. "I dated Hans."

Anna gasped. "You did _not_!"

"Yup. I only did because he was part of the amp sponsor and I was trying to get to his dad… it was a stupid ulterior motive but I did it anyway." Elsa closed her icy eyes and grimaced. "But that's not the worst of it. I dated him when… when you did."

"Wait… what?"

There was a long paused before Elsa grit her teeth.

"I didn't even realize it until a few days ago but… Hans cheated on you with me."

Anna stared, disbelief written all over her freckled face. Elsa shook her head rapidly.

"I'm so sorry I didn't even realize… I never knew he was dating another girl while he was dating me. I broke it off for an entirely different reason but he still stuck around with us 'cause he was a roadie and everything but… fucking, shit, Anna! I was that girl. I'm so sorry. I couldn't keep this from you because I—"

Anna suddenly cut her off as she burst out laughing. Words failed Elsa as she watched the ginger clutch her stomach and choke for air, absolutely losing it. Tears were gathering at the corners of her eyes as she cracked up, trying to catch her breath.

"I don't understand why this is funny?" Elsa said. "Anna, Hans cheated on you with me!"

"Oh my fucking god!" Anna cried. "This is too perfect!"

"Why is this funny!?" Elsa demanded, flabbergasted.

"Because here I thought Hans cheated on me because he was just a big dick. I mean, he was, but he was also probably doing it as an ulterior motive so he could get a better reputation with his brothers. If he sealed the deal with you, a future pop star, he would get so much credit!" Anna wiped the tears from her eyes and continued giggling. "Oh my gosh, that's too funny! Both of Hans' exes sitting here. I wonder what would happen if he knew we were talking to one another. He'd be so embarrassed, I bet!"

"You're not mad at me?"

"No! You had no idea, after all!"

"Well, I'm glad you punched the fuckhead in the face, kiddo, but I woulda socked him in his microscopic groin."

"Isn't it tiny!?" Anna squealed.

"Oh my god, _so_ tiny!" Elsa grinned.

They both howled with laughter. Anna struggled for more air while Elsa held her sides.

"D-did you have to help him—?"

"—In picking out the best shampoo for his hair?"

"Yes!"

They both enveloped in another fit of giggles. It took them a good five minutes to calm down but still held stupid grins on their faces.

"Ah, man… it's been a crazy ride with you so far, Anna," Elsa said, gazing fondly at the object of her affections.

"Yeah, it has," Anna agreed, hugging her legs to bring them closer to her chest. "I'm glad I joined you guys, though."

"Me too…"

Elsa let her glance fall from Anna to the black gloves that covered her hands. She stared at them for a second or two, a million thoughts and decisions whirring through her mind. Anna had proven herself to be a loyal friend to her and the boys, going along with them in all sorts of situations. She stood proudly beside them and worked hard to gain their friendship.

The blonde's walls were still up, sure.

But maybe it was time she took them down for a change. She really did like Anna more than she would admit to herself. And if there was truly something there, she shouldn't be afraid of it anymore.

"Anna, are you still curious about my gloves?" Elsa asked gently.

The roadie froze. "Huh?"

"Because I think it's time I showed you."

Anna gaped at her before blinking herself out of her stupor. She sent Elsa a cautious look of shock, unsure of what was about to actually happen next.

"Elsa… are you sure? Like, on hundred percent absolutely positive? This is a big deal."

Elsa peered out the window with an expression of slight uncertainty. "Yes. I'm sure. You deserve to know the truth." She faced Anna. "Are you ready?"

Anna closed her surprised gape and nodded seriously, not taking her eyes off of Elsa. The punk took in another humungous breath before reaching for one of her gloves with a shaking hand. Slowly, she peeled off the first one and then the other. Anna didn't dare drop her eyes to the hands just yet. She waited for Elsa to give the okay or to show her properly.

Then, with a hard swallow, Elsa turned her palms up. Anna took that as permission to look… and she had to stop herself from gasping.

Upon Elsa's pale palms were grotesque, rough, and dark pink scars. The tissue was damaged to no repair, it was clear to Anna, and it made sense to why Elsa constantly wore her gloves.

"Oh, Elsa," Anna whispered.

"Dry ice… These are dry ice scars left over from gnarly burns. I got these things when I was a roadie way back when. I was helping set up for a set and I was stupid enough to not wear gloves when I handled the shit… so I ended up seriously burning myself. I had to go back home with gloves on my hands…" Elsa glared down at him with hatred shining in her eyes. "So I named the band after my mistake, forever cursed with these scars. A reminder of what I did…

"I say a lot about being true to yourself, flaws and all. But I can never bring myself to reveal the truth behind my gloves. I'm ashamed of them… I can't stand them every time I see them on my skin. If people found out…" She grimaced. "Who would want to see a fucking coward perform?"

The next thing Elsa knew, Anna's hand was curled around her wrist, snatching it in midair. Elsa furrowed her brows at her.

"Wha… Anna, what the hell are you doing?"

She felt herself being pulled forward slightly as Elsa brought the scarred hand up close to her face with a deadpan expression on her face. The position her hand was in was rather uncomfortable and Elsa was confused beyond belief.

"You are aware of the pain you're—?"

She blushed a deep red as Anna pressed a kiss into the palm of Elsa's hand, letting her lips linger there. Elsa was gawking at Anna, eyes wide. She had no idea what to say as Anna ran a thumb across the bumpy scars. She looked into Elsa's eyes with a genial smile.

"I think your scars are beautiful," she said genuinely. "And I don't think they should be hidden from the world." She let go of Elsa hand and Elsa reached for her gloves. "Elsa, they're a part of you. They made you who you are."

Elsa scoffed and shot Anna a sarcastic smile. "Ha! If you think these things are beautiful, then you need some glasses pronto." Her smile melted away as she shoved the gloves back onto her hands. "Let's just say I'm a coward and leave it at that."

"You're not a coward," Anna insisted kindly.

"Hm…" Elsa scowled.

"Not to me."

The two of them fell into silence again, Elsa securing the leather along her wrists. Anna watched her, feeling a slight satisfaction in finally getting to see what was underneath the gloves. But another feeling and thrilling realization was sparking in her stomach.

Elsa trusted her.

She trusted her enough to remove her gloves in front of her. She finally showed off the shameful secret she hides away from everyone, no matter what. Anna understood why the boys were so apprehensive to answer Anna's questions about the gloves. Because they new it was Elsa's business and that she needed to tell Anna when she felt comfortable.

There was a courage in Anna that reared back its head and told her to take a chance. Anna looked up at Elsa, who was still rather shy and perhaps embarrassed after showing Anna the truth about her. She sat up and leaned forward until she was nearly nose to nose with Elsa. That snapped the punk out of her daze and she raised her eyebrows at Anna.

"What are you doing now?" she said.

"Trying something," Anna responded.

And with that, Anna closed the gap between the two. Elsa's eyes went wide open at the feeling of Anna's lips pressed against hers. It took her about two seconds to finally relax and kiss Anna back, resting her hands on the roadie's shoulders. She deepened it, their noses bumping together but neither of them cared.

What Elsa assumed would be a quenching of her desire to kiss Anna failed immensely. She merely craved more of Anna's kisses, to hold her close and never let her go, to see what she was like when the lights were turned down low and her eyes were full of lust.

Anna felt a warmth in her stomach that was ten times hotter than lava, pushing her lips harder onto Elsa's before the blonde parted her mouth and allowed Anna entry.

How long the kiss lasted, they had no idea. They were swimming in ecstasy and didn't want to break for air.

Olaf, however, did that for them.

He threw open the door until it hit the wall with a loud _clang_ , startling the two apart. Elsa flew backwards and smacked her head on the wall while Anna did the same, only her head met the shelf for the umpteenth time.

"Guys!" Olaf shouted joyously. "We're almost to Raleigh, North— Whoa, what happened to you two?"

"Nothing," they both groaned, rubbing their growing bumps.

"Well, c'mon, Els!" Olaf said, grabbing her by the wrist and yanking her out with him. "Sitron and I think we can match a few chords for a song."

Elsa craned her neck so she was sending Anna an apologetic yet longing glance over her shoulder as the redhead witnessed her being dragged away from her. When Elsa was forced in the front room and Anna was left on her bed, she raised a hand to her lips and fully understood what she had just done.

And she wanted more.

* * *

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	15. Do I Wanna Know

**NSFW content ahead. Don't like, don't read. More so near the end of the chapter. Reasons why such content is going to occur will be clear in this chapter.**

**Also, a few notes to give before we move on:**

****  
**1) My friend** _Chibiandbasil_ sent me a video that was Let It Go as a rock version and… Demi has taken a backseat. I deemed that version the official version for this story. Look it up. It's perfect.  
**2) You can now follow this version of Elsa on tumblr. The link to her account is on my profile. Kinda a roleplaying blog so you can ask her questions and whatever. My friend wanted me to do one so… there it is. Just for fun.  
** **3) -finally- I want you to go back to Chapter Eight and reread the last bit where Anna and Elsa are talking about sex songs… then consider the name of this chapter.**

**Thank you.**

**Have fun ;)**

* * *

It was as if the Fates were working against Anna for the next two days. Every single chance she had to talk to Elsa, another work load was dumped onto her plate or Elsa would be whisked away to go practice onstage. Ever since Olaf took Elsa back into the front room for song ideas, Anna hardly had a moment alone with her.

And she could feel a tension building between them with unsaid emotions and questions. It wasn't fair to the redhead. Just when she started to realize that her feelings for Elsa weren't going to go away, she was forced to wait until the next time they boarded the bus and headed off to wherever they were supposed to.

The first day wasn't as bad. They arrived Raleigh, North Carolina the evening of the kiss but Anna was too shy to face Elsa so she caught up with Oaken to help him move equipment back and forth from the bus to the theatre. Elsa was preoccupied with rehearsal that evening so she couldn't approach Anna if she tried.

And the next morning, Anna excused herself to get coffee for everybody, embarrassed for even kissing Elsa in the first place.

On the other hand, Elsa was getting frustrated with each passing hour that first day. It was as if Anna was trying to avoid her. But wasn't she one who initiated the kiss in the first place!? The stupid kid wouldn't even look her in the eye as she silently handed over Elsa's hot chocolate before scurrying off the assist a few techies.

The blonde had kissed many people before ranging from girlfriends to boyfriends to dares to random strangers and all of them she managed to shake off ten minutes later. Clearly, Anna was the exception to such aloofness.

Why was it so hard to get Anna alone so they could talk about it? It wasn't very fair for either parties.

During her rehearsal for the concert the next day, Elsa was mulling over ideas of ways to pull Anna aside. She really did want to know what the kiss was all about, after all. The roadie had made it happen, caused all this awkwardness.

If only Olaf hadn't been a giant douche and interrupted them.

Then again, Elsa was afraid that if he hadn't, she might have had sex with Anna right then and there. Her mind was fogged enough by shock that any common sense flew out the window.

The only good that came out of the first day of tension was a song.

While Anna was out running errands with Oaken that evening, Elsa met up with the band in the bus.

"Okay," she said, squeezing her gloved hands. "Okay, okay, okay… I stayed up all night last night to finish it but I _finally_ came up with something. Your harmonies, Olaf and Sitron, were excellent for this song…"

"What caused the inspiration?" Olaf wondered.

 _I made out with Anna._ "It just hit me before I went to bed. During breaks today I was fixing it… but…" She grinned at them. "Wanna hear it?"

"Fuck yeah we do!" Sitron cheered.

"Alright… now, just know this is a rough draft and—"

Marshmallow cut her off. "Sing the damn song."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "I titled it 'The Fine Line.' Hopefully… hopefully Kai'll—"

"Sing!" all three shouted at her.

Elsa pursed her lips before snatching a guitar that hung on the wall. She tuned it for a minute or two until she was satisfied. She started to play a medley that sounded an awful lot like "Do I Wanna Know" but was more upbeat, the joy that had filled Elsa the night previous being resonated through each chord.

_It always starts in the dark_  
_With a heart to heart, we share our scars_  
_Let's break down the break-ups we endure  
_ _Maybe there's something to be learned_

"Ah… Marshmallow, can you pat out a beat for me that matches this?" Elsa said, pausing and glancing up at the drummer.

"No problem," he nodded, hitting his knees with his large hands, the beat blending in with the guitar.

"Good so far, Els," Olaf applauded.

_From the love that burned,_  
_A cold red, to cruel blues,_  
_There ain't no waking up to this morning  
_ _When love dies and only guilt remains_

She shifted to a faster pace, capturing undivided attention from her bandmates. She sang the chorus, her voice overflowing with raw emotion that reminded them all of the first time she sang "Let It Go" for them all to hear.

_We flood the night with tears,_  
_Kiss goodbye the walls we built_  
_Ends or ends we thought we cleared_  
_Only to find our demons still_  
_They're clawing at our minds_  
_Fighting for our lives_  
_Slipping into the cracks  
_ _While we were blinded by the light of new love_

"That's the chorus," she explained. "Does it need anything extra?"

"I think it's perfect," Sitron said, immensely pleased they were assisting Elsa in her song. "Keep on going, blondie."

_There were telephone calls_  
_Together but alone, ghosts in the halls_  
_Hold you in my jacket, close to my chest  
_ _A promise that you weren't like the rest_

_(Chorus)_

_Throw back the door_  
_Break black and white_  
_Truth and lies_  
_'Till only myth remains_  
_It's a fine line  
_ _But we just might be legendary!_

_(Chorus)_

Elsa riffed on the guitar for a minute, bobbing her head to the beat Marshmallow was creating. The guitar wasn't plugged in so it was simply acoustic but it got the point of the song across.

After one last drift of her hand across the strings, the sound reverberated away and left them all in a silence. Olaf burst into applause and leapt to his feet, Sitron and Marshmallow following close behind.

"Thank you," Elsa said, inclining her head. "Your queen is pleased with your results."

"Whoa, hey," Sitron said with a wry smile. "Let's not jump back into that 'your queen' attitude, young lady."

"Ah, right… sorry," Elsa said, hanging the guitar back up. "We don't want another incident like yesterday."

"Past is in the past, need I remind you?" Olaf joked, turning on the TV. "Get some rest, Els. I like that song a lot. Really fits you!"

"Who is it about?" Marshmallow asked excitedly.

"Does it have to be about somebody?" Elsa snapped defensively, catching the boys off guard. "Uhm…" She coughed awkwardly as the bus doors slid open and Oaken wandered inside with Anna at his heels.

"…Probably the most mortifying moment in my life," Anna was telling the security guard, making him chuckle deeply. "You shoulda been there, Oaken. I swear, Rapunzel never let me live it down."

"Sounds like a wild ride," Oaken said, sitting in his drivers seat.

"You have no idea," Anna giggled, carrying a bag with the Target logo on it with her as she entered the main room.

She froze when she saw Elsa staring at her with a hopeful expression. The boys were oblivious, their attention glued to the television instead. Anna bit her lip, hiding a shy smile.

"Hey," she said, finally talking to Elsa.

"Hi," Elsa breathed.

"So…" Anna swallowed and rubbed the back of her neck anxiously. "What's up?"

"Nothing," Elsa replied quickly. "Do you have… time to talk?"

"Actually, I promised I'd FaceTime Punzie right now," Anna said, genuinely apologetic. "But, after the concert tomorrow? When we're both not busy?"

Elsa nodded. "That sounds perfect. Promise?"

"I promise," Anna said, sending her a loving smile. "Goodnight, guys." She raised a hand at her friends as she headed into her room.

They all bid her pleasant dreams, the roadie slipping inside her bedroom, leaving Elsa standing dumbly in the kitchen area. She let out a sigh and told the guys she was going to bed and marched into her room.

She collapsed onto her bed and buried her head into her pillow, biting her cheek. Then she turned until she was lying on her back, removing her gloves. She stared up at the scars and frowned at them.

After last night, she was astonished at herself for revealing them to Anna. But she had been filled with such thankfulness and trust for the ginger that she was confident enough to do so. It was nice not to have to hide them from Anna anymore.

What was more, Anna thought they were beautiful. That Elsa shouldn't be ashamed of them. She didn't laugh at her for burning herself, for making a stupid mistake… Anna was nothing but graceful in receiving the truth. A true friend.

Then she kissed her.

"Goddammit," Elsa swore, pushing the heel of her hands against her closed eyes.

She liked it so much, too. Elsa wanted more, definitely more. She wanted to feel Anna's body pressed up against hers. To kiss her all over her neck and leave bright red love marks, claiming Anna as her own.

No girl alive had driven Elsa this insane after one little kiss. There was something about the roadie that pulled her in, made her crave to see what she was like when her breathing was ragged, how she sounded when Elsa—

"Stop it, stop it, stop it!" Elsa groaned. "Conceal, don't— Fuck, don't start with that mantra again!" She sat up and kicked off her boots. "Fucking fucks." She glared at the blank television and decided to distract herself for the rest of the night with mindless cartoons before she had to face the next day.

* * *

As stated before, the first day wasn't as bad. But the second day was like hellfire. Not at first, however. It started off like any normal day with a concert scheduled did. The band got up and forced themselves to practice until lunch time, coffee that Anna brought them nearby. The boys were trying to tempt Elsa into performing "The Fine Line" for the first time but she declined the request, explaining that it still needed tweaking as far as the tuning was concerned.

Anna, of course, busied herself with helping backstage and making sure the dressing room was to the band's liking. She got herself into an argument with a techie over the placement of the chandelier, telling him it had to be directly in the middle, not placed right or left even if it was slight.

The techie was taller than she was with scruffy brown hair, the ends of it that dangled on his neck frosted. His eyes were a dark brown, his tan face smothered in a five o'clock shadow, a few hairs poking out from where would be his sideburns to his chin and up across his top lip. His T-shirt was a dark brown with black hooves stamped across from the bottom left to the top right. He wore torn up jeans with a leather, rosemaled belt holding it up, his working shoes grimy and grey.

"Nobody's gonna notice," he shrugged at her. "It's not such a big deal."

"Clearly you haven't seen the shows before," Anna spat, folding her arms across her chest. "The lights project onto it dead center so it can reflect the snow!"

"It'll do fine like—"

Anna grabbed him by the front of his shirt and brought him nose to nose with her.

"Fix. It," she snarled. "Or so help me I will tell Elsa and you'll be out of this job faster than you can say 'I fucked up.' Understand? If she's not happy with the arrangement, then there won't be a concert."

The techie gulped before nodding weakly at her.

"Wonderful," she said cheerily. "Glad we came to an agreement." She let go of him and walked off, as if she hadn't just frightened the piss out of the techie.

"Jesus," the techie groaned, rubbing his chest where her nails had scraped him from when she snatched his shirt.

"What's up?" another backstage worker asked, carrying over a large amp.

He was, unlike the techie, far larger and bulkier in size. He had a mop of blonde hair covered by a smokey grey beanie. He had a few freckles dotting his pale complexion and a pair of chocolate brown eyes. His T-shirt was dark grey and his jeans were a bit crusty from dirt and grime around the stage, tennis shoes in need of desperate repair.

"Just… that roadie for Dry Ice is a cold bitch," the techie grumbled. "Never mind… Kristoff, you got the amps set?"

"Yeah, Sven. And hey, don't sweat the small stuff," the worker said with a lopsided smile. "I'm sure she's just doing her job."

"Whatever," Sven sighed. "You're probably right. C'mon, I'll help you load that up."

"If you're still feeling upset about it, I'll talk to her," Kristoff teased. "I know you can be sensitive about being yelled at by a girl."

"Shut up," Sven snapped, flushing violently.

* * *

With the concert blaring on stage, Anna was fretting over what she was going to say to Elsa when they finally talked one-on-one with each other. Her teal eyes kept stealing glimpses of the punk as she bounded around and sang at the top of her voice. How she never ran out of breath, Anna didn't know. She kept rewording her speech, apologies running through her mind about attacking Elsa's lips without really giving her any warning, and nervousness thrumming through her being over what Elsa was going to tell her.

As she paced near some of the spare equipment, she was approached by one of the stagehands. She wasn't really in the mood to be talked to but she overweighed that feeling with her anxiety over talking to Elsa. So she locked eyes with the blonde guy coming over to her and realized that he was, in fact, looking to talk to her.

"Hey," he greeted, stuffing large hands into his grey sweatshirt pockets.

"Hi," Anna replied. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing, actually," he said, flashing her a lopsided smile. "I was just comin' over to… well… you kinda yelled at my buddy Sven today?"

Anna's brows knit together. "Sven? Who is that?"

"Sven… well, he's the techie who misplaced the chandelier."

"Oh! Oh, oh, oh!" Anna shook her head. "I'm so sorry! I've been under so much stress and I know what Elsa's preferences are and, believe me, I'm the calm before the storm because if she saw it wasn't in place, she'd've gone ballistic and…" Anna cleared her throat and sent the stagehand an apologetic smile. "Where is he? I should formally address him and—"

"Hey, no biggie," he chuckled. "He's gonna get over it. He's really a bright and sunny guy most of the time but our granddad's been running us into the ground… See, well, my name is Kristoff and I'm part of the amp sponsor for Dry Ice up in Rapid City. I'm down here as sort of an ambassador for them when Elsa has a free moment."

"I'm Anna, by the way. And you might have to wait until tomorrow 'cause I'm taking up her time tonight," Anna admitted. "Sorry."

"Whatever is best for her," he said with a heavy shrug. "The Troll Rock Amps know that Dry Ice is worth the wait."

"So… your grandfather owns it?"

"Yup. It's been a family business for years. Once he passes, my dad will inherit it, then it'll go to me and so on."

"And Sven, the techie, is your brother?"

"More like adopted brother."

Kristoff fell silent after that and Anna got the feeling that, much like Elsa, he was a walls-up kind of guy. She had met him two minutes ago and she knew she wasn't very deserving to know of his history. So she changed the subject quickly.

"How long have you been in Raleigh?" she wondered curiously.

"Not too long. Pabbie— my granddad— wanted me to see Elsa as soon as possible so we can get her the amps she needs." Kristoff rubbed the back of his neck. "What's she like?"

Anna let loose a laugh. "Good question. I'm still trying to figure that out for myself."

Kristoff smirked. "Thanks for the heads up, I suppose. I hope things go well."

"I'm sure they will. She really needs new amps." Anna stuck her hands in her back pockets and rocked on the heels of her Docs. Even when she was trying to avoid thinking about Elsa, she ended up talking about her. "Her last sponsor wasn't very good."

"Right, Westerguard Amps. They're awful." Kristoff winked at her. "And I'm not only saying that 'cause they're competition."

"No, I know exactly what you're talking about. I dated the youngest son of the company," Anna said. "He was the biggest asshole in the world."

"Sorry to hear that," he sympathized. "I promise I'm not an asshole. Sven calls me that from time to time but that's just because I don't always do what he wants."

"Right, but you and I aren't dating," Anna reminded him with a goofy grin. "So I don't need to be concerned whether or not you're an asshole."

"Awh, shucks, you're right," Kristoff said, grinning back at her.

The two didn't realize that the show was ending in the background, Elsa wishing everybody a good night. They were too busy talking to one another and giving each other jokingly flirtatious glances. Anna liked this guy already. He gave her a good back and forth and they had only just started talking. If he was the amp sponsor, Anna hoped for more conversations with Kristoff. Perhaps he would be a good new friend.

"I mean, that could change," Kristoff pointed out. "I could take you out for drinks and see where it takes us."

"Ah, it could but it's too bad I'm not into men anymore," Anna replied coyly, leaning close to him with sarcastically lidded eyes.

"Bummer," he snorted. "I'm sorry I asked. I wasn't aware you preferred taco to sausage."

Anna gagged and made a face. "Oh, gross!"

He started cracking up. "Sorry, Anna, I had to go there."

"No, you didn't, you jerk," Anna giggled, smacking him in the arm. "You didn't have to cross the line into crude humor."

"It's my kind of humor."

"You would get along with Sitron, then."

As they continued to talk and tease, Elsa was coming off of stage, removing her earplugs and feeling adrenaline rush through her body. She was going to finally sit down with Anna and see what they were going to be after that kiss and after two days of awkwardness. The boys were making their rounds before they joined her backstage but she didn't care. She was too busy searching for Anna so she could drag her into an empty dressing rooms.

But what she found wasn't what she wanted to see.

She saw Anna flirting with a guy— a good-looking one, too. They were leaning towards one another with smirks on their faces and lidded eyes. Elsa felt her blood boil, jealousy raging through her, eyes sparking with fury.

Perhaps she was jumping to conclusions, reasoned her rational side. But her feelings were genuinely hurt. She had opened up and let Anna in, showed her the scars, and was about to really let herself go but now Anna had the audacity to flirt with some other _guy_?!

Anna was giggling underneath the eye of this bulky, blonde bozo. He was giving her a goofy smile, clearly interested in taking Anna home for his own. Who the fuck did he think he was!?

With an ugly snarl, Elsa marched over, wedged herself between Anna and the stagehand, and pushed the guy away.

"Back off!" she shouted at him.

"Elsa, what the fuck!?" Anna demanded, alarmed.

"Who do you think you are!?" Elsa growled at Kristoff, who looked very confused and scared. Elsa turned on her heel to Anna, trying to mask her hurt feelings. "And _you_!"

"Me?" Anna gaped, affronted. "What about me?"

"How _dare_ you!?" Elsa whined, feeling tears sting her eyes. "I was so sure there was… _some_ thing!"

"Elsa, slow down, you don't under—"

"I understand perfectly that you were flirting with him!" Elsa jabbed a thumb over her shoulder at a dumbstruck Kristoff.

"You don't know that!" Anna said, getting angry. "Stop jumping to conclusions, Elsa! You have no idea what you're talking about!"

"Whatever!" Elsa yelled, throwing her hands up in the air. "If you're done being a two timer, I'll be at the hotel!"

She started to storm away, two tears slipping down her cheeks and shoulders bunched up to her ears. Anna stared after her, calling her name and demanding her to come back. The whole thing was a complete misunderstanding and absolutely stupid!

With a groan, Anna glanced at Kristoff.

"I am _so_ sorry," she apologized. "Look, let me go smooth this over… um… I'm really super sorry, Kristoff."

"It's fine. Just… figure out what's eating her," he said weakly.

"I have a hunch." _Me._

Anna left him standing there awkwardly, seeking out a sweaty and elated Olaf. She asked him what room Elsa was in and he explained she and Elsa were right next to one another with a door that could conjoin them, handing her the keycard for her own room.

"Why?" he asked as Anna shoved the card into her pocket.

"Circumstance," Anna grumbled and ran off to find the upset punk.

* * *

"Elsa, for fuck's sake open the goddamn door!" Anna shrieked, using her boots to kick at the door between their two rooms. "Let me talk to you!"

"Go away, Anna!" Elsa shouted back.

"No! We need to talk about what you just saw!" Anna pleaded.

She was about to go in for another kick when the door swung open and a very red-eyed Elsa stood before her, livid and exhausted.

"Fuck off," she snarled.

"You have got to be kidding me," Anna said, rolling her eyes and pushing her way into Elsa's room. "What you thought you saw… I wasn't flirting with Kristoff! Why in the world would I do that after I kiss you!? Common sense!" She knocked a fist against her head in example, watching Elsa scowl heavily at her.

"I don't know, Anna! Maybe you were doing that to get to me!"

"What!? What the fuck gave you that idea!"

Their voices were no doubt reaching the entire hotel, getting into each other's faces and tensions flaring between them. Elsa's gloved fists were quaking at her sides and Anna's eyes were wide with hurt and anger.

"Maybe you need to think before you look all googly-eyed at some guy!"

"Ever hear of sarcasm, Elsa!? Because you tend to use that a lot, y'know. I was teasing, joking, having a back-and-forth with someone different!"

"Someone different?"

"I can talk to whoever I want!"

"I don't want to share you with anyone else!"

"You don't own me!"

Anna spun on her heel and grabbed at her hair, despair aching in her bones. And here she thought she was going to have a meaningful conversation about their kiss. Instead they were screaming at each other over something so minimal, so ridiculous! And all because Elsa saw the wrong thing and the wrong time without really understanding what was happening. What was more, she wasn't believing Anna's story!

"My god," the roadie groaned. "You're such a pain."

"Why did you kiss me then?" Elsa snapped.

"Because I wanted to see… I don't…" Suddenly, Anna let out a frustrated cry and kicked over one of the chairs in Elsa's room, letting it fall to the floor with a dull thunk, tears building up in the corners of her eyes.

"You don't what? Don't want to admit you're wrong? Tell me the truth? Do you regret the kiss?"

"No! Yes! I don't know!"

"Make up your fucking mind! Do you want do date me or not!"

"This has nothing to do with you!"

"It has everything to do with me!" Elsa wanted to grab Anna by the shoulders and shake her, to get her to understand how hurt she was. "I saw you flirting with him!"

"You didn't see what you thought you saw!" Anna wailed.

"Tell me the truth!"

"I should have never… I don't even know why I…" The redhead's lip trembled. "Well, I would never want to date someone like you anyway because I hate your punk façade and I hate how mean you are to other people because they aren't famous as you are and I hate… I hate you!"

A ringing silence followed and Elsa drew inside herself, more harmed by the last comment than anything else. Anna didn't mean it, of course, but she certainly believed it. Elsa glanced down at the carpeted floor.

"You don't," she whispered.

"Yes I do," Anna said firmly, her lip quivering.

"Don't lie to me!" Elsa shouted, her voice cracking.

Anna didn't say anything, hugging her arms to her chest and feeling both ashamed of herself and hurt from Elsa's mistrust. Without another word, Anna left Elsa, heading into her own room and shutting the door behind her.

Elsa quivered on the spot before she picked up the chair Anna had kicked over and threw it across the room where it hit the wall by the window with an earth-shattering bang. That only provoked a tantrum from the punk, tears pouring from her eyes and screaming obscenities, crushed from a rejection from someone she opened up to. Someone she cared deeply for. Someone she thought would be different.

She didn't know how long the tantrum was. All she knew that she eventually tired of it and was curled up in a ball on her bed, eyes itchy and blotchy, heart aching. She wanted to say she was sorry to Anna for being so ignorant but she also wanted Anna to come forward first to apologize for her hurtful words.

This entire situation was unfair. Everything seemed out of place. Forcing them further apart… victims of misunderstandings and circumstance.

Someone was knocking on her front door but she had zero energy to get up and answer the door. There was some scuffling that followed before a keycard was slid inside and swung the door open.

"See, I told you I had the extra," Olaf snickered.

"Whatever," Sitron grunted. "Yo, Elsa!"

The three boys strode inside, smiles on their faces and the euphoria left over from the concert radiating off of them.

"We're gonna go barhopping and we want you and the kid…" Olaf trailed off, realizing the state Elsa was in. "Elsa?"

The other two noticed the fetal blonde, refusing to look at them. Marshmallow and Sitron exchanged looks of confusion while Olaf slowly approached the lead singer, sitting on the edge of the bed. He told the other two to give them a moment so he could talk to Elsa alone.

Marshmallow and Sitron left, though not without whispering their concerns to each other.

"What happened?" Olaf said gently.

"Anna and I got into a fight," Elsa croaked.

"About what?"

Elsa told him about what she saw, why she felt hurt, and went on to say how eager she had been after the show. So confident she and Anna were going to be something. So excited to let a few raw emotions out in the opening for the first time in a long time.

"And now I'm a giant jerk… and this is all my fault," Elsa moaned, burying her face into the bedspread.

"No, it's not," Olaf cooed, combing a bare hand through Elsa's hair kindly. "Elsa, it's understandable why you feel so betrayed. You opened up and let Anna in. That's a big step for you. And I'm sorry I interrupted your kiss… maybe if I didn't show, you'd have had a chance to discuss your feelings and not let them simmer for two days." He sighed and gazed towards the door that separated the girls. "But flirting with someone after she kissed you doesn't seem like Anna to me. I don't think she would ever hurt you… not intentionally."

"I know."

"Your feelings for Anna were making you irrational. I would calm down for the night before you see her again," he suggested. "And then you can say you're sorry, she'll say she's sorry, and you can kiss and make up."

Elsa nodded weakly and sniffled.

"Am I a fuck up, Olaf?" she wondered.

"No. You're just… you're just passionate. And you know what you want."

"I've made so many people mad at me in such a short period of time."

Olaf grimaced and said nothing, watching as Elsa grit her teeth in disgust.

"I've fucked up so much."

"You're gonna be okay. Anna would never remain mad at you."

"She hasn't known me as long as you."

"You're still friends. She knows that you trust her." Olaf rested his hand on her shoulder. "And you have to continue to trust her enough to know she'll come around."

Elsa didn't respond, blinking blearily.

"Do you wanna be alone?"

A nod.

"Alright, kid." He scratched her shoulder softly and supportingly before he rose to his feet, leaving Elsa be.

Meanwhile, Anna was in her own bedroom, her back resting against the door separating her room from Elsa's. She had heard the tantrum and was flooded with guilt.

The Fates really were bitches for making all of this happen. It was as if someone had broken a dam of words and situations that drive people apart when they were trying to figure things out tentatively. And the people who were hit the hardest were only adding salt to the open wounds.

Once the tantrum had ended, she started to cry herself. She wasn't very nice to Elsa and she knew it. She could have worded her little shouting fest in any other way but she had an urge to hurt Elsa after the blonde had jumped to conclusions so fast.

The roadie wanted to stitch everything up between them… but she felt as if she had reached too far and severed anything she could have had with Elsa.

Anna didn't know how long she had been sitting there but she reasoned she should get to bed and sleep the night off, deal with it in the morning. She removed all of her clothes except her bra and underpants, finding a pair of sleeping shorts in a small clothing pile Oaken and brought up for her to use while practice was happening.

After she brushed her teeth and washed her face, she sat on her bed for a while, suddenly feeling very awake.

She looked at the door, contemplating on her next move.

Then she made it. She got up from her bed and creaked open the door, poking a nose inside, her teal eyes scanning the dark and quiet bedroom. The chink of light streaming from her table lamp was falling on the empty side of Elsa's bed, the right side occupied by a sniffling lump. The light vanished as the door was shut with a soft click behind the redhead.

She allowed her bare feet to skim over the carpeted floor and towards the punk curled up in the hotel bed. Anna bit her lip as she peeled back the covers on the empty side. She crawled inside and wrapped her arms around Elsa's waist, startling the older girl and making her wince before she realized who it was. Elsa twisted her body to face Anna, confusion in her icy eyes, as the roadie buried her face into her neck, hot breath ghosting over the pale skin.

"I'm sorry," Anna breathed. "I don't hate you. I didn't mean anything I said. I'm sorry I hurt you, Elsa. I'm sorry that it had to come this far. I'm so, so, so sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry—"

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay," Elsa replied in a whisper, pressing a kiss against Anna's head. "We're gonna be okay. I'm not mad anymore… I was too quick to judge and… I'm sorry I got so jealous."

"It's okay."

"No. No it's not. You're right, I _don't_ own you. But I've gotten so close to you." Her eyes wandered to a dark corner of the room. "I don't know. I just don't want to lose you."

"You'll never lose me." Anna tightened her grip around Elsa, swallowing hard. "I promise."

There was a small moment of silence before Elsa spoke, "Did you still want to talk about the kiss?"

"I think you know what it means," Anna said, blinking so her eyelashes scraped Elsa's collarbone ever so slightly.

Elsa hummed and nodded, her nose getting a decent whiff of Anna's strawberry shampoo.

"I'm still so sorry," the blonde said.

"Elsa, you said it yourself: we're gonna be okay."

"I wish there was more I can do to make it up to you."

Anna backed her head away, staring at Elsa intently through the dark. The punk's eyes were glowing before her, searching Anna's teal ones for any signs of hurt or discomfort she could eliminate.

Something told Anna to do it and she _wanted_ to do it. She had a perfect way for Elsa to make it up to her so, without a word of explanation, she reached up to press a tender kiss to Elsa's lips, continuing that "something" she had begun to try in the bus. Elsa kissed her back feverishly, a groan rolling out of her throat, her nose bumping against Anna's as she deepened the kiss.

Her hands— bare and scars exposed— roamed along Anna's arms. Her scars caused a rough friction on the younger girl's sun kissed skin that drew a kiss from the redhead, pleasant goosebumps creeping across her shoulders. Anna pulled away, much to the punk's disappointment, but halted her pout when Anna clambered on top of Elsa's straddling her hips.

Her eyes were dark with desire, much like how Elsa envisioned her when she craved more of Anna. Her fantasy was coming true and she realized that what they were about to do was inevitable. Elsa knew she was too far gone already to refuse Anna and wanted her more now than she ever had, to show Anna how sorry she was.

"This… this is new," Elsa said, resting her bare hands onto Anna's torso.

"It's different," Anna agreed affectionately. "But a good different."

"Yes," Elsa nodded, her own eyes dilated with lust.

With a smile, Anna guided Elsa hands higher to the back of her bra. Elsa's gaze flickered from the girl's chest to her face and back again, searching for true approval. Anna bit her lip nervously and gave a small nod. Elsa unhooked the bra and cast it aside, her eyes wandering over the newly exposed skin. She moved her hands over them, caressing the supple mounds that were now reserved for her eyes only.

"You… you're truly wonderful, Anna," Elsa sighed.

Anna mewled in response as Elsa's thumbs ran over each of her pert nipples, allowing her eyes to fall shut with pleasure, the simple gesture causing her breath to hitch and heat to coil in her abdomen. Elsa was staring at her face with nothing but amazement and haziness, marveling at the fact the roadie was allowing Elsa to see her this way. That _she_ was causing all sorts of erotic sighs and soft moans to come from her. They were unlike any sound Elsa had ever heard from Anna and they were making something wind in her core, begging for release by the girl above her.

Through with the minimal contact, Anna dipped down and kissed Elsa roughly, rocking her hips against hers in order to relieve herself of the growing arousal, searching for friction, and earning a growl from the blonde, her hands applying more pressure to Anna's breasts.

"Elsa," Anna moaned sweetly against her lips.

"Mm… Anna," Elsa responded breathily.

It was then that they both knew what was to come next. A hidden greed to please the other, a drive to make the other speak their name once again in ecstasy reared up in the both of them. Each girl was falling deeper and deeper into the other's spell with willingness. No more denying, no more sexual tension, no more fighting— just them in a cool hotel room after a night of misunderstanding and frustration.

Anna slipped her fingers behind Elsa's sleeping bra and unhooked it as the rockstar pressed several elongated, wet kisses along her jawline. With the bra off and tossed over the ginger's shoulder, she let her hands do as Elsa's did to her breasts. Although the result was far different from her own coos of approval.

Once her hands began to knead the skin and thumbs circle the hardened nipples, Elsa paused her kisses and grit her teeth, letting out a delicious hiss between them. Pleased with the new outcome, Anna continued her teasing by laying long kisses along each of the mounds, rubbing her lips against her nipples— giving equal attention to each so they could get the same amount of love.

"Ahh…" Elsa groaned, her hands sliding from Anna's breasts and around her neck, bringing her closer, fingers curling around and mussing up Anna's red mane, urging her to continue.

Anna felt her core ignite, her needs sparking tenfold. She moved her lips from Elsa's well-loved chest and kissed Elsa hard, parting their mouths with a swipe of her tongue. Elsa allowed gracious entry, the open mouthed kisses becoming more and more heated with every passing second.

The redhead soon found the punk's scarred hands at the top of her sleeping shorts, wriggling their way beneath them _and_ her underwear. Giggling breathily, Anna hooked her own fingers around Elsa's boxers, a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Same time," she said.

Elsa winked at her. "As you wish."

With some ungraceful movements and a few impatient grunts, the offending clothes were soon discarded to some corner of the room. Now both girls were stark naked in the dark room but neither of them felt self conscious, two pairs of eyes raking the other's body with hunger and affection.

"Beautiful," Elsa told her simply.

"Gorgeous," Anna insisted, grinning dazzlingly and rubbing her nose against Elsa's.

Elsa shook her head with a goofy smile on her pale face. "You're really something else, Anna."

"Of course," Anna giggled, leaning down to kiss Elsa's forehead. "What else would make me your roadie?" A kiss on her nose. "Make me your friend?" A kiss on her lips. "Make me your number one fan?"

"You're my number one fan?" Elsa snickered, though not unkindly, her white teeth shining in the dim light.

"Forever and always," Anna assured her.

Elsa pulled her down and kissed her forcefully, screwing her eyes shut. Anna starting running her hands up and down the top of Elsa's breasts and her shoulders, starting to automatically roll her hips onto the blonde's, searching for an ecstatic friction to send them both into a land of enlivening. Elsa stopped kissing Anna, panting with lidded eyes.

"Wait," she gasped. "Lemme…"

She sat up, kneeling in front of Anna, the redhead already in such a position. Anna furrowed her brows at Elsa as she crawled closer, nudging the roadie's legs apart slightly.

"First," Elsa began, looking into Anna's eyes, "are you ready for this? We don't have to… at all."

"I want this," Anna said. "I can't explain why it's so sudden but I really, really like it."

"Okay."

With permission to continue, Elsa slid herself into a position so that their thighs were just below their slick entrances. Anna felt her breath hitch and her eyes flutter shut, Elsa proceeding to grind against her thigh.

"Oh," Anna gasped innocently.

Elsa's hands reached up to cup Anna's face, kissing her sweetly. Anna arms snaked around Elsa's waist, the grinding starting to increase in speed. Each thrust hit their sweet spots, eliciting groans from both girls, heads swimming in arousal. Elsa's brow was creased in concentration, making sure that Anna was enjoying the make up sex as much as she was.

The redhead parted the kiss, lips swollen and eyes lidded, gasping and pressing her forehead against Elsa's.

"Elsaaaa," Anna sighed, her breathing becoming more erratic. "Eh… El _sa_."

The sound of her name in such a throaty tone drove Elsa insane, a growling meow erupting from deep in Anna's chest was nothing short of erotic. Anna then buried her face into Elsa's shoulder, trying to get closer to Elsa than she already was. Elsa took that opportunity to kiss Anna's neck, placing several love bites along the tanned and freckle dusted skin.

She eventually brought Anna's face back to her own, making out with the younger girl hungrily. But when she felt her core beg for more with an intensity, she pulled away, moaning and bumping her forehead against Anna's.

"Ahhh… _Anna_ ," Elsa groaned, her fingernails scraping against the back of Anna's neck. "F _ff_ … _ah_ …" Her eyes were rolling into the back of her head, the feeling of Anna's thigh rocking against her sex and brushing along her clit in just the right way was causing her to lose all sort of intellectual thought, her head completely cloudy and hazy.

And Anna was no exception. She had all but started to worship Elsa's god-given hips and the way they moved. They were nothing short of a blessing, always swaying and popping whenever Elsa moved. Now Anna was sensing how magical they were, all sorts of moans tumbling off her tongue because of the way those things ground with a mind of their own. The pressure in her core was building with a white hot harshness as if she were the one receiving instead of sharing mutual friction.

Every now and then, she'd place a chaste kiss on her lover's lips, chant her name like a prayer, and brush her nose against Elsa's.

Sure, they could have done more with one another than just grinding their thighs upon their sexes but the urge for a sexual connection with one another was new, timid, and yet to be properly explored. For now, they were simply trying to show the other how sorry they were with the most intimate way possible. It was unlike anything either of them had ever experienced: a pleasurable, gentle, loving kind of touch with full eye contact abundant with affection and their names bubbling over their lips.

When Elsa tilted her head back and closed her eyes, lips parted slightly, Anna knew that she was close. Speed was increased for the both of them, moans puffing out in hot breaths, freckled cheeks flushed, and sweat beading along foreheads.

"Ahhhh _nna!_ " Elsa cried, gripping Anna's shoulders.

She came against the redhead's skin, a natural high that was better than anything else in the universe pulsing through her veins. And she knew— in spite of her dazed state— that Anna in need of an equally sweet release. So she kept on going, embracing Anna closer and pressing her tongue hotly onto Anna's pounding pulse on her neck, the younger girl moaning out her name in short pants, mouth agape with the delight bubbling in her stomach.

Her hips jerked against Elsa's thigh, her body quivering, until she felt her orgasm creep up on her.

"Oh, god… Elsa… Elsa… _Elsa!_ " Anna's voice climbed in pitch before she let out a harsh, shuddering moan, her nose engulfed in Elsa's neck, lips grazing over the cream colored skin.

Slowly, as she came down from her high, Elsa shifted herself out of her interlock with the ginger, her chest heaving from the incredible make up sex she had just gone through. Anna was still shaking, her skin glowing with heat, and eyes shut tight. Elsa let out an exhausted sigh, taking Anna by the hand and dragging her down with her so they were lying down underneath the blankets.

The roadie positioned herself so her stomach was pressed against Elsa's and her arms were resting atop of the blonde's breasts, her chin on top of her arms. They shared a sleepy smile before Anna closed her eyes, the older girl reaching over to tuck a few loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Yeah," Anna muttered. "A good different."

"A _great_ different," Elsa chuckled breathlessly.

They maneuvered themselves so they were resting on their sides, Anna on the left of the bed and Elsa on the right, heads sharing a pillow. With a tired grin, Anna slid her hands behind Elsa's neck and started to kiss her neck tenderly, attempting to ease them both into a peaceful sleep. Elsa's icy eyes fell shut as she ran her hands up and down Anna's bare side and back, occasionally feeling a lock of red hair brush against her fingers.

Underneath the warm blankets were no longer two strangers, a punk and a roadie, two tentative friends, or two arguing hearts. Whatever tension between them that had caused them to be so angry with one another was gone, eliminated by a bond that went far beyond their best friend standing. It was very clear to them what the kiss meant and very clear what the make up sex meant.

It was the start of an experimental relationship, to see where this would take them. It might not take them anywhere or it might take them so far when they least expect it.

Whatever it was, it was on its way. No words needed to prove it. The trust was mending itself faster than mere apologies, their naked bodies melding together with simplicity.

"How do my hands feel?" Elsa asked nervously, breaking the comfortable silence.

"Rough… but good. 'Cause they're your hands," Anna said against her skin.

"Really? I'm still surprised you're not grossed out by them."

"Oh, Elsa, relax," Anna chastised, leaning back, meeting Elsa's newly opened eyes. "It's fine. They're perfect."

"If you're sure…"

Anna broke out into a grin suddenly, giggling so her shoulders shook delicately.

"What are you laughing at?" Elsa demanded gently, her brows knitting together.

"Your voice… it's just… it's so much softer and lighter," Anna said. "It's been like that ever since I got on top of you. It's so unlike how you usually sound, y'know, all raspy and stuff. It's a nice change."

Elsa's expression softened and she smiled that same, eyes shining, freckling popping smile Anna only saw on special occasions. But this one was far different from the other ones. There was nothing but affection and undying appreciation this time. A genuine smile that made Anna's heart skip several beats.

"Only for you," Elsa finally responded.

"And that _smile_. It's so beautiful," Anna voiced, her tone honeyed. "Not that pretentious smirk you always wear."

"Pretentious? How rude."

"It's true—" Kiss. "—and you know it."

It wasn't until three in the morning, after a couple of hours of kissing and pillow talk, did they finally fall asleep, breaths slow and calm, legs tangled up together, content with whom they had just shared the most intimate of connections with.

* * *

**Please be nice. I did my best with this chapter because it's all part of the already laid out plan for this story.**

**Make up sex is the best kind of sex for some so… I wanted their first time to be a bit different from others that I've read. Hesitant and new… but both passionate and inviting. I hope I did okay.**

**Please, please be kind in the reviews. I worked hard on the smut. I can understand why some of you are like, oh no it's too fast, but I tried. I really did. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't review at all. Thank you.**

**Anyways… it's a long one but it's a big thanks for 200+. Kisses all around. I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Fav/ Follow/ Review**

**See you next time!**


	16. I Really Want It

**As far as other smut chapters go, there won't be too many in this story. Perhaps three more described ones, others merely implied. Enough to keep the story going but not too much to make it** _**all about** _ **the sex. Sex isn't necessary in a relationship, of course, but it's always nice.**

* * *

"Fucking fucks," Olaf grunted to himself, combing a hand through his hair as he slugged down the hall. "I had to go and lose the damn keycard… Elsa's probably freaking out about talking to Anna today. Jesus, I hope things go well." He sniffled distractedly, getting closer to Elsa's door. "I really need Anna to make her feel better… to _date_ her. It would do _so_ many people some good, she has no idea. Well, not _too_ many people but… who am I talking to?"

He peered over his shoulder to check if anyone was listening to him mutter to nobody. The coast was clear, to his great relief, so he pressed on down the hall. The guitarist stopped in front of Elsa's door and started banging on it.

"Els! C'mon, I know what can cheer you up," he said giddily. "There's a breakfast buffet downstairs! Pancakes and bacon and eggs and such! Complimentary. It ends at ten so get your ass outta bed."

No response.

"Elsa, if you drank yourself silly, Kai is gonna kill us for the minibar bill," Olaf warned her playfully. "He said specifically no minibars… or was it… huh. Maybe he did, I dunno."

The punk remained taciturn.

"If only I hadn't dropped that keycard in the bar last night. Stupid Sitron making me spill my whisky on my shirt…"

He knocked again.

And again.

And again, and again.

Inside, the small figure of Anna was trying to untangle herself from the sheets, disgruntled that she was woken up so rudely and so _early_. Beside her, Elsa was still snoozing heavily, the side of her face planted on the pillow. The roadie picked around the room for Elsa's T-shirt and boxers, shoving those on before she stumbled towards the door upon which Olaf was still slamming his fist against.

Anna took a moment to smell Elsa's shirt, pressing it to her nose and inhaling the scent of the punk. A crisp, cool smell that was both comforting and lively, holding in the excitement that surrounded her on stage the night before. When she managed to wake herself up a bit more, but was still pretty damn exhausted, she lazily reached for the handle and pulled the door open, stopping Olaf mid-knock.

"Finally!" he sighed in relief. "My hand was starting… to… uh…"

He noticed that it wasn't Elsa he was talking to but a very sleepy Anna, rubbing her eye and her bottom lip jutting out.

"What do you want this early?" Anna asked groggily.

"Uhm… isn't… duh…" Words failed him. "Elsa?"

"Asleep."

"Ah."

He peered around the roadie to find, to his astonishment, Elsa sleeping in her bed with an empty space where Anna was supposedly resting beside her. But once she turned over, he got an eyeful of boob and he immediately snapped his attention onto Anna, his face a bright red.

"Ahaha!" he croaked nervously, trying not to laugh hysterically out of speechlessness. "I see!"

"Mhm," Anna grumbled. "Anything else?"

"Buffet. Downstairs. Ends at ten… that's it."

"Okay?"

"Yup!" He nodded, averting his eyes from looking back inside the dimly lit hotel room. "See you down there, I hope!"

He saluted her weakly and turned on his heel before jogging down the hall, disbelief thrumming through his veins. Anna blinked blearily after him, yawning deeply. Then she shut the door, slumping back to the bed and collapsing onto her side, face first into the pillow.

Elsa made a small groan, her brow creasing. She slowly cracked open her eyes and sniffled, spying the roadie who was desperately trying to catch few more minutes of shut eye.

"You got up," Elsa pointed out drowsily.

"Olaf," Anna responded.

"Hm." Elsa chuckled and rolled over on her stomach, burying her face deeper in her pillow. "Sorry about that, cutie."

"Shoot me now," Anna whined. "It's too early to be up."

Elsa laughed a little louder, reaching over and pulling Anna closer to her. The roadie turned her head to face Elsa, earning a lazy kiss on her nose.

"What did he want?" she wondered.

"There's a breakfast buffet downstairs that ends at ten," Anna said, closing her eyes as Elsa's lips continued to explore every inch of her face. "But that means we have to get up. Usually after sex, make up or otherwise, I like to spend the day afterwards in bed."

Her stomach let out a sudden growl, causing both of them to take pause and glance down. Elsa laughed again, sitting up and bunching the blankets around her chest, running a hand through her hair that had found its way out of the braid sometime in the night.

"Looks like that's not gonna happen anytime soon," she teased.

"That's so unfair, stomach!" Anna scolded, rolling out of bed— literally— and landing on her back on the carpeted floor. She peeled off Elsa's shirt and tossed it at her. "Here. Lemme find my clothes."

Anna crawled around the floor half naked as Elsa tugged on her T-shirt, watching her… girlfriend? Was Anna her girlfriend? Sex didn't always have to leave being in a relationship. Elsa was very aware of that, having been the asshole who sneaks out in morning before living up to promises she never intended on keeping.

"Anna," Elsa said carefully as the roadie successfully snatched up her bra.

"Got it! Yours is over here, too. Forgot that your shirt was from the show last night. Now wonder it smelled kinda sweaty but that's okay," Anna said, clasping her bra over her chest.

"Anna, listen to me," Elsa pleaded but only found her boxers being thrown into her face.

"Aaaaand, underpants and shorts have been found," Anna grinned, sliding them up her legs.

" _Anna_ ," Elsa said forcefully, struggling to throw on her boxers as she spoke.

"What?"

"Don't you wanna talk about what happened last night?"

"We fought, we said we were sorry, we had make up sex," Anna stated. "I figured you wouldn't want to talk about it."

"After all that?" Elsa said. "I told you a while ago that I pick and choose my lovers."

"It sounds weird when you say it like that," Anna said innocently. "Like we're a prize to be won."

Elsa smacked herself in the head, scrambling out of the sheets to meet Anna at the edge of the bed.

"No, no," she said quickly. "That's not… I just… I _trust_ you." She took Anna's hands in her bare ones, her voice the honeyed, soft, cooing tone it had been all night long afterwards. "Like, I trusted so many people before but with you… it's different. Remember… a _good_ different. A great different."

"So?" Anna said carefully, running her thumbs over Elsa's knuckles, marveling at the feel of Elsa's bare hands so perfectly placed in her own. "What did you wanna talk about?"

Elsa flushed and averted Anna's gaze. "I guess if… if it meant anything to you."

"Of _course_ it did," Anna giggled. "I should have known it meant something to you too after you started kissing me all over a few minutes ago."

"It's always been meaningful for me… except with Hans." She grimaced. "Anyway, I'm a bit rusty when it comes to being in any sort of relationship and, well, I know that we can't exactly be in one now because there's no logical way we can sit down at dinner and be alone for once without the guys breathing down our necks. And I can't provide the healthy relationship expectations and—"

For once, Elsa was the one rambling, sweating and looking anxious. So Anna did what people normally did for her: cut her off. She stood on her tiptoes and pressed a calming kiss on the blonde's lips, silencing the girl's nervous ranting.

"Don't worry about it," Anna said, stepping down. "You have other priorities."

"But I can't just… let you walk off after last night."

"Then don't." Anna smiled. "Who needs a traditional relationship? I've had two of those and they've been humdrum most of the time save for a random vacation or going out to dinner when it wasn't our date night." She shrugged. "It's a whole 'nother ballgame when I'm dating someone who I'm traveling around the country with. And you're different." She winked. "A great different."

Her stomach made another agonizing groan and Elsa grinned.

"Alright, how about we get some food in your belly before it kills itself," she suggested, walking by Anna and grabbing her sleeping bra off the chair Anna left it on. "After that, we can have a more focused conversation."

"Sounds good," Anna said, rubbing her stomach. "I'll meet you in the hallway."

She opened the door separating her room from Elsa's and slid inside, letting the door fall shut behind her. As soon as she felt secure enough, she started jumping up and down, letting out suppressed squeals of joy as she pumped her arms up and down.

"Oh my gosh, wow!" she gasped, spinning and collapsing on her bed. "Wow, wow, wow!" She sighed blissfully and ran her hands through her red locks. "That was… oh, my she's so incredible. Where's _that_ Elsa more often?"

She hoisted herself up before shuffling around her bedroom, finding fresh clothes that Oaken had delivered the day before, where she had found her sleeping shorts last night. She dressed herself in her R2D2 mohawk T-shirt, jeans, and the Docs she had worn last night and threw on the jacket Elsa bought for her in Salem.

After she brushed out her hair and rid herself of her morning breath— hoping to god that Elsa wasn't grossed out by it whilst they were talking— she headed out into the hall to find Elsa braiding her hair with ease, leaning on the wall between their rooms.

"Gloves on?" Anna inquired, eyes landing on the leather that bound Elsa's scars.

"The world needn't know," Elsa insisted, tying up the end of her braid. "Where are yours?"

"My pocket." She patted her jeans pocket that was bulging out significantly, the bottoms sticking out of the top. "I don't need them all the time."

"Alrighty then," Elsa said, gesturing down the hall with her head. "Shall we?"

* * *

In the dining hall in the lobby of their hotel, the three band members were sitting at a table with two seats saved for their friends who had yet to come downstairs. Sitron and Marshmallow were eating peacefully while Olaf sat awkwardly in his seat, seriously debating on whether or not he should tell the guys about what he had seen.

"Olaf, your pancakes are getting cold," Sitron commented, poking his fork at Olaf's untouched plate.

"And you look like you've seen a ghost," Marshmallow added.

"Yeah. What's eating you?" Sitron said, cocking his head to one side curiously.

"Nothing," Olaf mumbled, cutting a piece of his pancake before shoving it into his mouth.

He glanced up from his plate and saw the two girls walk into the hall, casually talking and smiling as if nothing had gone on last night. He swallowed hard and forced himself to stare at his breakfast.

"Olaf?" Sitron said slowly. "What—?"

"Oh, look!" Marshmallow said pleasantly. "They're up."

Sitron looked from Olaf to the two girls as they got themselves plates and waiting in line to grab breakfast.

"Good. Looks like Elsa's alright from her meltdown last night," Sitron said. "Say, Olaf, what was the deal anyway?"

Olaf merely shook his head, not allowing himself to stare at the girls.

"Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you?" Sitron demanded. "You're usually the one who is jabbering on and on about stuff. Such a damn gossip. And now suddenly you're clamming up like you're a witness to a murder."

"Elsa and Anna just got into a fight, that's all," Olaf said quickly. "But they patched things up. Oh, ho, yes they certainly did."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marshmallow said.

Before Olaf could explain, Elsa and Anna took the empty seats across from the boys.

"G'morning!" Anna chirped.

"Hello, boys," Elsa greeted, spearing a potato with her fork. "How are we this morning?"

Anna couldn't help but notice Elsa's tone had switched from her affectionate one to her raspy, commanding one in a heartbeat. But she bit her tongue, not wanting to bring it up until she felt like it seemed necessary.

"Marsh and I are fine," Sitron said. "It's Olaf who is in some weird funk."

"What's the deal, Kollsvein?" Elsa said, nudging his foot with her own from underneath the table.

Olaf pressed his lips together, shaking his head at her. Everyone watched him intently, waiting for him to spill. He started to shovel food in his mouth, trying to find any possible way to avoid speaking.

Suddenly it dawned on Anna. "Oh, I think I know what his problem is."

The others turned their attention on the roadie. She realized they were expecting an answer from her now and she blushed hard, biting her lip.

"He knows," she said to Elsa.

The punk furrowed her brow. "Huh?"

Anna shot her a look that read "don't make me spell it out." Elsa stared for a few seconds before she understood.

"Oh!" she said, her voice growing in pitch out of embarrassment. "Ha…" She rubbed the back of her neck. "That makes sense."

"And I saw something I shouldn't have seen," Olaf squeaked.

The girls both widened their eyes, the other two boys completely lost.

"What did you see?" Elsa croaked.

Olaf poked at his left pec and then made a swooping gesture to simulate a breast before pointing to Elsa. Anna snorted awkwardly as the blonde colored significantly.

"No wonder you're freaking out," she mumbled, focusing her attention on her meal and piling a generous portion of eggs past her lips.

"What is happening!?" Sitron cried.

The three who were aware of what was going on exchanged looks, almost as if they were waiting for one another to tell, nobody wanting to bring it up over breakfast. After all, it wasn't exactly very normal breakfast conversation.

"I need to be at least four bears deep," Elsa grunted.

"It's not my business to tell," Olaf said quietly.

"Oh for the love of— are you guys _that_ …" Anna sighed, rolling her eyes heavily. "Elsa and I had sex last night."

Sitron choked on his coffee and Marshmallow's face glowed with contact awkwardness. Elsa smiled slowly, not believing that it was Anna who was the blunt one about everything today.

"Jeez, Anna," she said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "Way to be subtle."

"I don't understand why people make it seem so shameful and weird!" Anna said honestly. "Look!" She brought down the collar of her shirt until her collarbone was more noticeable. "She left a hickey there! Big whoop! I'm not going to a serious job today or visiting my grandmother, who would surely have a heart attack if she saw this, via a female or male."

"Keep your voice down," Olaf pleaded.

"Nobody's looking, you wimp," Sitron said.

"Sex is sex," Anna said. "It feels good. It's a way people can express their affection if they're serious about it." She sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "God, it's not like we murdered someone. I'm so tired of people making it seem terrible. My cousin taught me that after I teased her when she had a hickey on her neck from her boyfriend. She looked at me and said, 'hey, Anna, what's the big deal?' And it occurred to me that there was none. Unless you're going to a formal event or going to work or school then don't show off the hickey but otherwise you shouldn't be ashamed of having sex."

The four gawked at her as the ginger raised her brows at them, expression deadpan.

"Understand?" she said.

They all nodded.

"Awesome." She immediately perked up and feasted on her bacon.

There was a moment of silence before Olaf smiled, turning to Sitron with a devious glint in his eyes.

"Hey!" Olaf giggled manically.

The bassist glared at him. "What?" he snapped.

"You owe me and Marshmallow twenty bucks each," Olaf reminded him.

Elsa and Anna exchanged looks of confusion, watching the scene unfold before them. Sitron was highly affronted, snarling at the guitarist.

"No way!" he said angrily. "There's no possible way you should have won the bet!"

"But we did," Olaf said, flexing his gloved hand at his friend. "Cough up."

Marshmallow shoved his hand forward expectantly.

"What the hell did you bet on?" Elsa said, Sitron grumbling out swears and digging out his wallet.

"I bet that you and Anna would get rid of your sexual tension by doing it before the tour was over," Olaf said proudly as a crumpled twenty was pressed into his palm. "I was too shocked to realize I won until now."

"And I bet that you'd be together by the second month," Marshmallow said.

"Hold your fucking horses!" Sitron barked, keeping his second bill close to him. "We don't know if they're together yet!"

They whipped their heads at the girls, who both felt very on the spot at once. Elsa coughed into her fist and Anna tugged on her bottom lip with her teeth. Neither of them spoke up before Sitron told them to spill harshly.

"I like to think so," Anna whispered.

"Me too," Elsa admitted softly.

"I mean, we're kinda together," the roadie said. "We're working on that."

"But it's most likely gonna happen so, Sitron, give it up," Elsa said, waving at him with the back of her hand, egging him on to hand over the twenty.

"But… but!" Sitron whined as the dollar was swiped from him by Olaf and handed to Marshmallow. "Awh, fine!" He stood up from the table and crammed his wallet back into his pocket. "Screw you guys, I'm going back to the bus."

He marched away, leaving his breakfast half finished but it was quickly recovered by Marshmallow, who dumped all the potatoes and the two pieces of toast on his plate with joy.

"I'm glad you two settled everything," Olaf said, folding up his well earned money and tucking it into his back pocket. "I don't care how, just glad you're good."

"Same," Elsa sighed, stretching.

Anna gasped suddenly, startling them all. "Elsa!" Anna said, her face clouding over. "I forgot that I'm still mad at you about something!"

The punk was alarmed. "What? What did I do now?" Her shoulder was swatted by Anna hard. "Ow— hey!"

"You have to apologize to Kristoff!" Anna said. "You were so rude to him last night!"

"Who's Kristoff?" Marshmallow asked.

"His full name is Kristoff _Bjorgman_ ," Anna said, elongating his last name for emphasis.

"Oh fuck," Elsa moaned, dropping her head into her hands. "Of Troll Rock Amps. His grandfather runs the company."

"Elsa, you dumbass!" Olaf cracked up. "That's our amp sponsor's grandson and you yelled at him!"

"I thought he was flirting with Anna," Elsa defended.

"We were being ironic," Anna said, picking up her tea. "I told him I dated girls now."

"Do you ever," Elsa teased.

"You're not off the hook," Anna snapped seriously. "You still have a show tonight and, damn it, you're gonna apologize. And I might throw in something else since you were so rotten."

"Jesus, what are you planning!?"

* * *

The hustle and bustle of backstage was always a norm for Kristoff, undoing electrical cords and setting up amps on stage. He was used to people pushing by him and barking out orders, grime and sweat a common occurrence. Even getting yelled at by rockstars was something he had grown to understand was protocol for stagehands.

But he never expected one to come up to him and apologize.

He was checking over the number of amplifiers that were backstage when someone cleared their throat behind him. Kristoff gazed over his shoulder, expecting it to either be Sven or perhaps another stage manager coming to complain. Instead he found Elsa standing there, awkwardly, and Anna a few feet behind her with her arms over her chest expectantly. It made Elsa look like a child who was in big, big trouble with their parent and was sitting before the principal, about to explain their wrong doings.

"Uh… hey," Elsa said, not looking directly at him.

"Hi," he said carefully, remembering how peeved she had been at him yesterday. "Can I, erm, help you with something?"

"Yeah— no… look." Elsa finally allowed her eyes to linger onto his face. "I'm sorry."

"Huh?"

"I'm sorry for shouting at you yesterday," she said.

"Oh, it's fine," Kristoff said. "I didn't know you and Anna were dating, but I swear I wasn't actually flirting with her—"

"No, I know," Elsa cut him off. "She made that clear… and we _weren't_ dating but we had, uhm, it doesn't matter. We're sorta dating now. I think."

"Yeah?"

Elsa shifted from foot to foot. "Mhm."

"And!?" Anna called from where she was standing.

Elsa raised her eyes to the heavens, as though she were praying for patience. He noted, however, Elsa seemed to give off the shadow of a smile after Anna had barked at her.

"I would like to offer you and… Sven?" She shot Anna an expression searching for conformation and Anna nodded. She turned back to Kristoff. "Offer you and Sven to join us on our tour as techies until we reach Rapid City, unless you'd like to come with us to New York. We have extra bunk room for you guys, uh…" She glanced back at Anna, who smiled approvingly. "Yup. That's it."

Kristoff's eyes went from Elsa to Anna, who winked, and back again.

"You're serious?" he wondered dubiously.

"I don't have much of a—"

" _Ahem_." hissed Anna.

Elsa sighed. "Yes. In fact, since you seem to know the ropes of the backstage world more than Anna does ("Hey!"), it would be a great add on to the Dry Ice family." She held out a gloved hand and sent him a kind but crooked smile. "How about it?"

"You're _serious_?" he repeated.

"How many times do I have to say it?" Elsa said. "Yes or no?"

"You'd… me and Sven? Hanging around the hottest band of the year?" Kristoff said with a sarcastic scoff. "What do you think?" He brought up a giant hand and clasped Elsa's firmly. "Hell yes! This'll be great. Grand Pabbie will be pleased to know I got on your good side."

"Don't push it," Anna said, bouncing over and grabbing Elsa's shoulders from behind. "She's probably still miffed about yesterday."

"Anna, for fuck's sake," Elsa groaned.

"Just kidding," Anna said, pecking Elsa on the cheek. "Time for practice. Go on!"

She turned Elsa around and shoved her toward the stage, the punk allowing her feet to drag themselves towards her awaiting band.

"That's a surprising change of heart," Kristoff said. "You did most of it, I presume?"

"Oh, of course. I thought you'd be a good addition to the band. I feel guilty when Oaken does all the heavy lifting and I don't know a thing about tech stuff. I've learned a lot along the way but it'll be nice to have more help." She grinned at him. "Where's Sven? I haven't seen him since _I_ yelled at him."

Kristoff chuckled. "He'll be around. I know he'll flip when I tell him the news."

"By the way, do you have fingerless gloves?" Anna displayed her hand— the gloves now glued to her skin as they usually were when she was working.

"Yeah we got 'em when Dry Ice was the _biggest_ thing," he confirmed. "Sven wears his more often than I do, though."

"Get used to wearing them. They're kind of a band thing," she told him.

"I've noticed. But why?"

Anna was about to answer "beats me" but realized that she _did_ know the secret to the gloves. And Elsa trusted Anna enough to let her hold that information and not tell anyone. She understood how the boys felt when Anna had asked them. How they knew it wasn't their secret to divulge. Anna was now a part of that inner circle and had no intentions on revealing the facts and every intention on keeping Elsa's trust.

"It's not my job to tell you," she worded. "You'd have to be more in with the band to know."

"I'm the amp sponsor."

She shook her head. "I mean, really super close to Elsa to know. I just recently… learned why but it took me a while. I'd give it a bit before she trusts you enough. Same goes for Sven."

"Whatever you say," he shrugged. "Thanks for the opportunity. It's great 'cause we were about to get outta here after her shows and we were looking at plane tickets but this is even better."

Anna sent him a wink. "No problem, dude. Good to have you on the team. Now…" She cast a very pissed-off glance at the caterer. "If you don't mind, I have someone _else_ to yell at since there seems to be a lack of Arrowhead water." She stomped over. "Hey, buddy! What's the big fucking idea!?"

Kristoff laughed after her, amused how fast she can change her attitude when it was needed the most.

* * *

That afternoon, after practice was over, Elsa found Anna shoving bottled Arrowheads in the cooler, muttering some very colorful swears under her breath.

"Hey, kid," Elsa said, poking her in the shoulder. "Got a minute?"

"Yeah, gimme a quick second," Anna said. "You and your damn water. I wouldn't have to do this if you just liked all kinds. The caterer most likely peed himself after I finished with him."

Elsa laughed. "Sorry. All other waters make me feel like I'm drowning. But that's why you're here, isn't it? To make sure I don't become a prima donna cry baby like Bieber."

Anna finished sticking the waters in the ice and stood up straight, facing her.

"What's up?" she said.

"C'mere," Elsa said, taking Anna by the hand and leading her further backstage to the dressing rooms. "We need to talk."

"Ah, right," Anna said. "We didn't finish our discussion from this morning."

"You remembered. Very good."

"Elsa, please, I don't have a terrible memory."

The older girl snickered. "I'm just giving you a hard time."

They entered an empty dressing room and Elsa shut the door, locking it behind them lest Olaf try to jump in at some random point and interrupt them for the billionth time.

"Alright," Anna chimed, plopping herself down on the couch and crossing her legs. "Where did we leave off?"

"We were talking about how we don't need a traditional relationship."

"That's right. Well, we don't _have_ to have one. We can't exactly. Like, you can't call me up and go, 'hey, babe, there's a really cool Italian place that opened up down the street wanna come?' or say, 'oh, you had a bad day? I'll come over and we'll binge on pizza and Netflix until we conk out.' If that's what you consider traditional."

Anna had a valid point. It wasn't the most ideal time or place to strike up a relationship but last night had been so meaningful to Elsa. She gave herself over for the first time in about two years. The redhead made it even the more special by loving her scars and giving Elsa a night she won't soon forget, by kissing her first and allowing Elsa to choose what she wanted.

"But…" Elsa said, tugging at her braid.

"But?"

"I'd like to be in a relationship with you, Anna," Elsa said truthfully, finally sinking down beside Anna.

"Then, let's do it," Anna said. "Kissing and hugging and cuddling and all that romantic stuff." She giggled, a blush fanning her cheeks. "I think it'd be fun." She took Elsa's hand and removed a glove before doing the same with her other hand so they could hold hands without leather blocking skin contact. "Plus, it could help you." She kissed Elsa's jaw. "And help me."

"How would it help me?" Elsa asked, closing her eyes. Her tone became silky at once, leaning close to Anna automatically.

"Find out who you really are underneath all those guises," Anna whispered, her breath ghosting over her skin.

"And you?"

"Recover from my heartaches. Break down my walls… _and_ yours." Another kiss to Elsa's jaw. "I think it would do us both good, don't you?"

"Mhm…" Elsa opened her eyes, staring blankly behind her new girlfriend. "What do you want to do about sex? We don't have to have it again until you're absolutely comfortable. Last night was impulsive— but very wonderful don't get me wrong— and it was pure make up sex."

"We can wait for a little while," Anna said gently, pulling back. "I'd like to move forward one step at a time now that we've taken a few steps back. No sex until we feel ready for it to be more about saying we're sorry."

"Sounds good," Elsa smiled. "But we can kiss all we like."

"Please," Anna agreed.

With that word of permission, Elsa brought Anna's face up to kiss her long and deep, not holding back her feelings for the roadie anymore.

* * *

**Lauraknatt… you drew the Taco Bell eating scene from chapter 5 and I love you so much for it. It's my phone lock screen now. If you haven't seen it, check out both my tumblr (athpluver) and this version of Elsa's tumblr (itspunkelsamotherfucker) to see the picture.**

**Follow Elsa so you guys can ask dumb questions or submit more punk!Elsa oriented art if some of you are up for drawing. Trying to make that one more of a blog for this story than my own. It's for all the Elsanna stuff I want to reblog so my non-Elsanna-shipping followers won't have to see it.**

**I literally started screaming and crying hysterically out of pure joy when I saw their picture. Everything about it was flawless.**

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**See you next time!**


	17. Life is a Highway

**More of a filler but there's a point. Until we reach Rapid City, not too much is going to happen. This chapter surrounds Anna becoming closer to Kristoff and the next one involves Elsa and Anna further exploring their relationship. After Rapid City comes a trip to Wisconsin… where Elsa is from.**

**Then things will pick up from there. Sorry that it seems a tad humdrum but every story has a filler or two.**

**Shall we?**

* * *

"Dude, whoa," Kristoff gasped as he stepped aboard the bus with Sven in tow.

"Right?" Olaf grinned.

"Shit, I've been on my fair share of tour buses but I gotta say yours is pretty sweet," Sven said, hitching his bag higher on his shoulder. "Nice digs. Seriously."

"Where are we sleeping?" Kristoff wondered, looking at Olaf as he ushered them through the opening.

"On the right side bunks. Whichever out of the three available. On the left, I have the middle, Sitron's on top, and Marshmallow is bottom," Olaf explained.

"When you say it like that," Sitron mumbled, "it sounds like we're participating in some sex orgy."

"Sitron, Jesus Christ," Elsa groaned from her spot on the couch.

They had just returned from the hotel with Kristoff and Sven joining them to the bus before they got their next start to Memphis. Now they were showing their new crew members what they would call home until the tour ended, Kristoff very keen on remaining with the band until their final destination in New York.

As the two newbies got settled in, Oaken revved up the bus and shifted it into gear. Olaf and Sitron were playing Mario Kart against one another whilst Marshmallow watched on one couch. Elsa was sitting next to her large friend, Anna's back leaning on her shoulder as she read one of her textbooks.

"Memphis," Elsa said, gazing at her phone, looking over the official website for the city. "I've always wanted to go there. It always seemed to have some sort of… charm."

"Yeah?" Anna giggled. "You know, this is actually the most I've traveled in my life? I've never been out of Arendelle for this long."

"Glad I could help you with that," Elsa said, kissing the back of Anna's head.

"Eugh," Sitron gagged, handing over his remote to Marshmallow for a turn. "You guys were better when you were yelling and being snarky at one another."

"It's not like we're gonna stop," Anna said idly, turning a page in her book. "For example, I still think Elsa is a pretentious celebrity."

"And I still think Anna is a stuffy child who needs to let loose every now and then," Elsa said blandly.

"But it won't stop us from being cutesy from time to time," Anna said, grinning at Sitron, who took a seat in the couch opposite them.

"Whatever you say," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Guys, chill," Olaf chuckled. "Sitron's just sore that he lost the bet."

"I am not!" Sitron argued.

"Are too," Marshmallow said.

"Welcome to Dry Ice!" Anna laughed at Kristoff, who was sending them a peculiar expression. "Where on stage they act tough and cool but in reality they're all whiney, needy, and goofy."

"Sounds like my kinda group," Sven said, sliding into the booth. "I call next turn on Mario Kart!"

"This guy is great," Olaf said joyfully. "Gets right into the groove of things."

Kristoff sat next to Sitron, though a tad awkwardly, and examined the band before him.

"So… Elsa," he started tentatively. "Uhm, if you don't mind, I'd like to discuss with you some more… business oriented things."

"Fire away, babe," Elsa said casually.

"About the amps, Pabbie wants to set up a formal meeting with you," Kristoff began. "And he also would appreciate a small favor."

"What's the favor?"

"He's hosting a benefit to raise money for foster kids and my entire family is gonna be there along with a few important names in both the child law area and music." Kristoff ran his newly gloved hand through his hair. "He'd like it if you guys played the benefit."

The game was paused and everybody looked at Elsa, waiting to see what she was going to say. She cocked her head to one side slightly.

"How much would we be paid?" Elsa asked.

"Well… you wouldn't," Sven piped up nervously. "It's a benefit and you're Grand Pabbie's client. That's why it's more of a favor."

"I mean, our amps are the best in the business," Kristoff said quickly. "And I understand if you—"

"Okay," Elsa shrugged.

"Okay what?" Kristoff said.

"We'll play. It'll be fun," Elsa said.

"Seriously?"

"Why not? I think doing benefits is not only good publicity but a good deed." Elsa stretched and stood, Anna falling onto her back on the couch, glaring up at Elsa. The punk didn't notice. "Perhaps I'll play a few original songs."

"Ooh, awesome!" Olaf cheered, unpausing the game and diving into his race with his brother.

"You finally wrote a song?" Anna said, not bothering to get herself up.

"Uh-huh," Elsa confirmed, smirking down at the redhead. "You need help there, kid?"

"No, it's alright. Marshmallow's thigh is comfortable," Anna giggled.

Marshmallow chuckled. "Ha, thanks."

"Suit yourself," Elsa shrugged. "I'm gonna catch some shut eye—"

The bus suddenly shuddered, sending Elsa teetering off balance. Everybody snapped to attention, their eyes on the front of the bus as Oaken made a few terrified noises.

"Oaken!?" Elsa shouted.

"Hang on, dears, I need to get off the highway!" Oaken cried.

Stunned expressions were exchanged shortly before the bus made a dangerous swing, Elsa toppling into Sitron and Kristoff. Olaf and Marshmallow jumped to their feet and shut the TV doors in case any of the electronics fell out. Anna got off the couch, abandoning her book, and wobbling over to the front.

"What's happening!?" she yelled.

Oaken veered off the freeway. "Something is wrong with the engine."

"How is that possible!?" Elsa wailed, getting off of the blonde and the bassist. "This is a brand new bus!"

Luckily, Oaken managed to park the bus in an empty parking lot, the band sighing in relief. Kristoff stood shakily, casting a nervous glance at the group around him.

"Is this a usual occurrence where something bad happens to you?" he asked.

"Not all the time," Anna said over her shoulder. "I mean, yeah Elsa almost got hit in the head with a bottle, I was left drunk in Seattle, the band almost broke up, a town was against Elsa playing…" She realized the more she tacked on the list, the more uneasy Kristoff seemed. "But it's not all bad! Usually we just goof around until the next concert."

"What on Gaea's green earth!?" Elsa sputtered, pushing by her girlfriend to confront Oaken, who looked positively bewildered.

"I don't know what happened," he said, fumbling with the keys.

"Oaken, it's not your fault," Sitron reminded him calmly. "Something went funky."

"Let's check it out," Olaf suggested.

One by one, the expanded group exited the bus to the back where the engine was located. Oaken unlocked the seal and opened it, a fresh stream of disgusting and foul smelling smog releasing itself from its trap.

"Ugh!" Anna whined, her hands snapping to her nose. "That's awful!"

"What the actual fuck!?" Elsa said, gawking stupidly at the engine.

"Do we have… like, insurance?" Olaf said weakly.

"We better!" Sitron said. "Otherwise we're fucked. We have to get to Memphis by tomorrow night for set up. If we don't, we'll be behind schedule."

"Sven, call the theatre," Anna said. "The list of places is in the little black book in the glove compartment. Tell them we may be late."

"On it," Sven obeyed.

"I'll get ahold of Kai," Marshmallow sighed, following after the techie back into the bus.

"Olaf, you any good with cars?" Kristoff asked, cracking his knuckles.

"Uh, I got a B plus in motors and small engines class," Olaf replied. "Why?"

"Let's see if we can't find the problem," Kristoff said, waving away the extra smoke as it coughed out of the bus. "I've had my fair dealings with auto parts when I fixed up my old truck."

"Ooh, I have a tool kit in the holding compartment!" Oaken said gleefully.

"I can take a crack at the engine, too," Sitron said. "Oaken, you better call the insurance company and see if they can't send any help if they have a branch out here."

"This is bullshit!" Elsa shouted, kicking the curb of the sidewalk.

"Okay, okay!" Anna tried to sooth, pulling Elsa away gently. "Let's give the boys some space to be manly men."

Elsa slumped, allowing Anna to drag her down the street a little ways away from the action. Anna made her sit down on the sidewalk, quickly joining her and running a calming hand over her back.

"This is ridiculous," Elsa snarled. "What is my life, Anna? A soap-opera?"

"No. This is just a little bump in the road," Anna told her gently. "A tiny kink that they're working out. Maybe it's minimal. Cars break down, things do weird things, and once we figure out what it is, we'll be back on the road to Memphis!"

Elsa didn't look up from where she was burning the pavement with her glare. The roadie sighed, continuing the rub circles on Elsa's back. There were a few seconds of silence that passed them by, the clang of their friends hard at word as they tried to deduce what had gone wrong with the bus the only sound that registered. Suddenly, the punk widened her eyes and turned to Anna.

"You don't think…" she began hoarsely.

"I don't think what?" Anna demanded, both confused and slightly affronted.

"Listen, I know that this entire tour hasn't been the most… eventful but what _has_ been eventful involved things that went bad," Elsa said.

"Right… like you—"

"—almost getting hit in the head with a bottle. Why? Because—"

"—of Hans and his need for revenge."

Anna stared and slowly her mouth fell open.

"You don't think!?" Anna cried. "That he… could have hired someone to sabotage our bus, do you?"

"That's _exactly_ what I think," Elsa said seriously.

"No… no, no… how can that be!?" Anna shook her head.

"He knows my schedule. Of course he would, he was supposed to be the roadie for this tour. I don't have a doubt in my mind that he could have sabotaged it. Called in a favor like he did with that Denis fucker." Elsa stood up, looking murderous. "The next time I run into Hans—"

"Elsa, slow down," Anna said, standing up too. "We don't know for sure but this is definitely a great, great possibility. If it's true, Hans is genuinely fixed on seeking his childlike vengeance but right now— Elsa, look at me." Anna grabbed her by the shoulders and forced Elsa to twist her body so their eyes could meet. "Right now we have more important things to worry about. We have to fix the bus and then you have to wow the crowd with your amazing sexiness in Memphis."

The blonde grinned. "My amazing sexiness?"

"Shut up." Anna poked her hard in the chest. "If we're gonna be girlfriends allow me the liberty to compliment you awkwardly."

"Alright, but as long as I can give you pet names."

"Fine." Her interest piqued. "Like what?"

"I have a few I wanna try out but you'll hear them over time, baby," Elsa assured, leaning closer.

"Is that one of them?" Anna inquired, slightly breathless.

"I've called you baby before," she reminded her.

"Right but never because you liked me."

"Get used to hearing it."

Just before Elsa was going to kiss her, Kristoff hollered, "What the fuck!?"

The two girls turned their heads towards the bus, only to find Olaf giving the gas tank the most peculiar expression, Sitron wiping some gooey mess off of his hands, and Kristoff trying to get a clearer view of what that stuff was.

"What is it?" Elsa said, bounding over with Anna on her heels.

"Well, the engine was reacting to the car, you see," Olaf said, his face slightly smudged with grime. "But it was actually the gas tank that was fucked up."

"That's why the engine was smokey," Kristoff explained.

"But someone stuck a shit ton of molasses in our gas tank," Sitron whined. "I just _had_ to stick my hand in there mother fucker! Who in their right mind would be such a piece of—"

"Hans," Elsa said quickly. "It has to be. If it wasn't the engine, then this is obviously something he'd do."

"We managed to fix the engine okay, though," Olaf said. "It was a little funky in spite of the molasses."

"What about the insurance company? What can they do?" Anna said.

"I'll got tell Oaken," Olaf said. "He's still on the phone with them."

"If our engine is fucked up then we can't move!" Elsa complained, becoming frantic and watching Olaf dash into the bus to alert their driver. "We'll be done for!"

"And Hans will win," Anna said quietly, feeling her heart sink into her stomach.

"Not if they can get a mechanic over here!" Kristoff said optimistically. "This doesn't look terrible and I think it's an easy fix. Someone can suck it all out and clean it, fill it back up with gas and we'll be on our way."

Sven came outside with Olaf, hopeful grins on their faces.

"Okay, good news!" said the guitarist. "The insurance company is sending someone out right now."

"And the theatre said that they'll start preparing early," Sven added. "Just in case we can't make it by tomorrow night."

"We _will_ ," Kristoff said stubbornly. "As soon as they fix everything on a more professional scale, we're gonna drive like sons of bitches to Memphis."

"In the meantime, we're stranded," Elsa said bluntly.

"Well… yes," Olaf sighed.

"Great!" Sitron barked bitterly. "Just great. 'Cause I love being stranded in the middle of some hick town."

"Would you be slightly positive for once?" Anna pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Anna. It's just so good to hear I'll be stuck here until our bus is up and running!" Sitron snapped, finally removing the thick, black colored sticky mess off of his hands. "I need a drink."

"It's not even noon," Elsa deadpanned.

"I don't give a fuck." Sitron threw the rag he was using on the floor. "Olaf, get Marshmallow. I want to go to some random Applebee's and drink away my problems."

"Marsh! We're gonna get hammered!" Olaf called into the bus, beckoning out his younger brother. "Ooh, what did Kai say?"

"He said that he's gonna do some investigating," Marshmallow said, lumbering over. "In case that someone is trying to do us in."

"It's Hans," Elsa said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"We can't know for sure," Olaf said. "But he's definitely suspect number one. But as of now, I think getting some alcohol in my system will dull the pain for a bit." He patted Sven on the back. "Care to join us?"

The techie looked shocked but incredibly flattered. "Oh… sure!"

"How 'bout you, Kristoff?" Sitron invited. "A guys thing while Oaken waits for the mechanic outside and the girls get it on inside."

Elsa smacked him in the back of his head.

"No thanks, I'll hang around here," Kristoff said, wiping his hands off on his jeans.

"Suit yourself," Olaf said. "Let's find an Applebee's."

"Already on it," Marshmallow said, on his phone and looking for the restaurant on his maps.

"What makes you so sure there's gonna be an Applebee's—?" Anna began but—

"Ten Applebee's found in walking distance from your location," Siri spoke out from the drummer's phone.

Elsa started snickering as Anna turned her eyes up to the sky, an unimpressed expression crossing over her features.

"We're off!" Sitron said. "Marsh, lead the way."

* * *

With the majority of the boys gone to enjoy a beer or two and Oaken outside waiting for the mechanic to show up and fix their problem, the three had the bus to themselves. Kristoff had taken to the television while the girls were in Elsa's room.

"You know," Anna said from Elsa's bed, watching her girlfriend fiddle with her desk lamp, "you should probably spend this downtime writing a new song."

"I already wrote a song," Elsa said.

"I mean _another_ one." She crossed her legs Indian style, cocking her head to one side. "Seriously, get an album in the works! You can't stand alone with 'Let It Go' for the rest of your life."

"Watch me," the punk challenged in a mumble, sinking into her desk chair.

Anna sighed. "Look, it's something that's not only productive but necessary. Olaf told me your newest song was good even though it still needs tweaking!"

Elsa was taciturn, spinning in the chair lazily.

"Frankly, I have better things to do," she said, eyeing Anna.

The roadie rolled her eyes, smiling in spite of herself. "We're not _doing_ anything yet. I won't give you any affection until you've come up with one verse."

"Anna! That's not fair!" Elsa complained, shooting to her feet.

"You can try to counter me but I'll be as legs-shut as an ultra-conservative eleven year old who hasn't realized her father is just a giant prune," Anna said defiantly. "Now, I'm gonna go out with Kristoff to get some lunch while you write. If I come back and you have a verse or two, I'll give you a prize. If not, you can suffer."

Elsa stared at Anna's snide expression, an eyebrow raised so her likeness to Elsa was suddenly striking. The blonde groaned and sunk into her seat, turning it around to her desk, taking out a pencil and getting down to work.

"Good!" Anna approved, clambering off the bed. "I'll be back in less than an hour. Good luck, baby."

"Hm."

Anna left Elsa alone and closed the door behind her, approaching Kristoff with a smile. He shifted his gaze from the television to his fellow roadie. He returned the smile, his only lopsided, and gave her a kind yet questioning raise of his brows.

"Hey," she said. "I'm gonna go grab lunch for the three of us. Wanna join me?"

"Sure," he grinned, shutting off the TV and rising. "Where to?"

"I was thinking Panda Express. There's gotta be one around here and I want some cream cheese ragoons… if that's what you call them."

"I'm down. Let's go!"

"Bye, Elsa!" Anna called loudly over her shoulder as she and Kristoff left the bus. "Remember our deal!"

"Fuck you, Anna!" Elsa cried after her.

"Not yet!" Anna replied with a laugh.

They stepped out of the bus, told Oaken where they were going, and continued on down the street of the tiny town. Anna was looking through her maps and found a Panda Express not too far away. The two walked in silence towards the Chinese fast-food place, Kristoff pulling off his beanie in the hot sun and Anna adjusting her gloves.

"Why didn't you wanna go with the guys?" Anna asked. "For some dude bonding time?" She bumped her hips into his, making him chuckle.

"Ah, I'm not exactly an afternoon drinker," he said with a shrug. "I prefer to drink through the night."

"I see, I see. Well, it's nice hanging with you. And this way, Elsa won't feel jealous."

"Yeah, so, are you guys, like, officially together now?"

"I guess so," Anna said with an uncertain shrug. "I mean, we're on the tracks, definitely. But we have to leave some room to grow. We've only kissed a lot and we've sworn off of sex for a while… just…" She let out a long breath. "It's new and hesitant but I don't mind. I really like her."

"I'm glad things are working out for you two," Kristoff said supportively.

"Yeah, me too."

"By the way, what was your deal you made?"

"I told her she can't get any of this—" She pointed to her lips and winked. "—until she works on her song and produces an official verse for a new song. Motivation at its finest. See if she's willing to work for some lovin'."

Kristoff started laughing again. "You're pretty feisty, Anna."

"Ooh, feisty!" Anna pumped her fist in the air. "I haven't been called that in a long time! Last time I was I was in a relationship with this girl Merida. But it's good to be called that for a different reason."

"Glad I could be of service," he said, patting her on the head. "Hey, there's the place!"

They spotted the Panda Express a few blocks down. The two entered and stood in line, wallets out and ready to purchase their meals, chattering more about the band and the plans. As Anna was about to order, a rather portly man cut in front of her and gathered the surprised attention of the person who was about to take Anna's order.

"I'm in a hurry," the man barked at the girl behind the counter. "Give me the—"

"Hey, buddy, my friend was in front of you!" Kristoff snapped.

"Tough shit," the guy snarled.

"Kristoff, it's alright," Anna said, backing off.

"No, it's not. It's fucking rude," Kristoff said defensively. "You could have at least said excuse me. I didn't realize this town was so backwards that being polite is something nobody has ever heard of."

"Shut up, blondie, nobody was talking to you," the man yelled.

"At least apologize!" Kristoff argued.

"Kristoff, it's—" Anna tried again.

"Defend your girlfriend some other time!" The guy shoved Kristoff, who nearly fell into Anna. "Get off my ass!"

Kristoff looked very much like he wanted to punch the guy in the stomach but Anna managed to reign him back, telling him it was fine and that he should just let the guy do what he wanted. So they did, the smug look of the man burning in Kristoff's memory as they walked back to the bus.

"You're so quick to hurt people," Anna said, giving him a half smile. "It was a dick move but I don't care. I'm not affected by that kind of stuff."

"I'm sorry," he grumbled. "I suppose I'm more of a gentleman when it comes to saying a simple, 'pardon me.'"

"Kristoff, trust me," she said gently. "If it bothered me so much, I would have let you hurt him. At least I know I'm protected by everyone now. I should start my own posse with the band creating a ring of protection around me wherever I go."

He cracked a smile. "Very funny."

They returned to the bus to find Oaken talking to the mechanic as he worked on the fuel tank, saying he could get it fixed before night fell. Anna handed the body guard a baggie full of egg rolls and he grinned, thanking her. The two clambered onto the bus and Anna announced their arrival.

As they put the take-out boxes on the booth table, Elsa burst forth from her room with a piece of paper in her grip. She stormed over to Anna and shoved the lyrics in her face.

"They still have some editing to go through," Elsa said shortly. "But I did it. I finished two verses."

Anna smirked. "Good for you. I'll reward you after lunch."

The punk groaned and flopped into the booth, pulling a box towards her, Anna sitting beside Elsa and opening her own box. Kristoff was across the two, already eating his lunch with gusto.

Sometime during their meal, the other boys returned. To the trio's surprise, they weren't drunk like Sitron had intended. Instead their stomachs were full with food from Applebee's, everyone ready to chill for the rest of the day until the bus was fixed. Another game of Mario Kart ensued between the boys while Elsa forced Anna into her bedroom.

"Okay, I wrote the verses," Elsa said. "Can you stop with the teasing, that wasn't funny."

"It was for me. And look, you were productive!" Anna said, plopping down onto the bed. "I'm so proud." She started to applaud. "Yay, Elsa!"

"Anna, c'mon," Elsa pleaded. "You said you would award me."

"I didn't realize you'd be so needy," Anna giggled.

Elsa took in a deep breath, sitting beside Anna, flashing her a tender smile.

"Please? I did as you asked." She leaned close and brushed her lips against the shell of Anna's ear, eliciting a shudder from Anna. Her ears had always been pretty sensitive.

"Alright, fine," Anna said. "Gloves off, missy."

Elsa did as she was told, removing both gloves and taking Anna's face in her hands, bringing her close and kissing her, Anna opening her mouth and allowing Elsa entry as her prize for writing a new song. Elsa hummed in approval, responding at once.

She dragged her hands across Anna's face to the back over her neck, the roadie gripping Elsa's waist. It was the first time since they had sex that they were actually making out. Anna found herself in Elsa's lap, the older girl's lips leaving Anna's and fumbling over her neck.

"You know," Elsa panted, "I don't care that you assisted me. I'm gonna get revenge one way or another."

"Whatever you say," Anna purred, loving the feeling of Elsa's hands combing through her hair. "But you know that you were damn motivated to have me kiss you."

"It isn't fair that after wanting to kiss you, you put a fucking lock on your lips," Elsa reasoned, looking up at Anna beneath her lashes.

"You wanted it," Anna said, kissing Elsa's forehead. "And you got it. I promise not to do it again."

"Still gonna seek revenge," Elsa responded, bringing Anna back down to kiss her again.

"Looking forward to what you have in mind," Anna managed to say before Elsa silenced her completely with a deeper kiss.

As soon as Anna thought she would be able to go a bit farther without going _too_ far, the bus shuddered and the engine roared, driving them apart. The boys cheered, drawing the girls outside to see what they were cheering out.

"Bus is fixed!" Oaken announced joyfully. "Next stop is—"

"Memphis!" everyone yelled, applauding.

"Hans can kiss my ass!" Elsa roared, picking Anna up around her waist, making the younger girl laugh. "He can never stop us!"

"Never!" Anna whooped, throwing a fist in the air. "Dry Ice will live on!"

"Legendary!" Olaf added.

"We will fucking rock you!" Sitron shouted.

And they continued to hoot and holler in victory as Oaken turned the bus back onto the highway, taking them all to Memphis.

* * *

**This chapter… ugh, this chapter.**

**Not my favorite and probably not yours either. Sorry. It was an extreme filler and I do apologize. Although, more Hans possibilities so… there's that.**

**I promise things will pick up. Especially when things get to Rapid City. Plenty of Elsanna in the next chapter including Elsa's "revenge."**

**Ugh. You don't even have to review on this chapter. It sucked. And I know it already.**

**There's now 4 pieces of fan art out there. One was submitted to me. Another was drawn by lauraknatt, there was one drawn by aelifsigrun, and the other was by dilautris who actually drew the cover art (and where I drew inspiration from to make this story). So a BIG THANK YOU to all of you guys!**

**Fav/Follow/Review (on the good chapters)**

**See you next time!**


	18. Applause

**Here's my belated gift to you, a new Scars chapter. Sorry that it's a bit late but the Holidays** _**swamped** _ **me. December is no time to update a fic, let me tell you.**

**But I'm back and happy to continue!**

* * *

Anna was struggling as she lugged both the guitar and bass cases up the steps of the theatre's steps to the backstage area. Sven was bringing up the rear, his arms full of tech equipment that had so many colorful buttons that Anna was sure did almost everything one could possibly imagine. Kristoff was in front of her, his strong arms supporting two smaller amps.

It was a great thing to have more crew members, she had to admit. So much more got done in a small amount of time so it left more opportunities for Kristoff to teach Anna some backstage ropes. And more time for her to sneak away with Elsa and make out in the corners but nobody else really became aware of those little rendezvous.

"Make a left," Sven said to Kristoff. "That takes us to the stage quickest."

"Got it," Kristoff nodded, reaching the top of the stairs and turning, Anna and Sven following close behind.

The three entered the stage that looked out into the empty theatre. Anna hustled by Kristoff and placed Sitron's case on the left side of the stage and then hauled Olaf's case to the right. Kristoff set down the amps and started to fiddle with some electrical cords by the larger ones. Sven hopped off the stage, crossed through the pit, and went towards the tech table in the middle of the theatre behind the VIP seating.

Anna let out a huff and sat on the platform that raised the drum set, crossing her ankles and looking out at the dark auditorium. A few other local techies and stagehands were scurrying about like rats in and out of the room and across the stage. Sven clapped his hands once to gather her and Kristoff's attention and the most Anna could see of him jabbed a finger up above them.

The roadies looked up as a switch was flicked, the "ice" chandelier descending smoothly from the ceiling full of catwalks and wires. It came to a stop, the dangling shards clanging together musically

"Is it center now, Anna?" Sven teased, earning a rather dirty look from the redhead.

"Don't be an ass!" Anna barked at him.

"Nice entry," Kristoff cut in. "But can it go faster?"

Their voices were bouncing back at them from the emptiness of the theatre.

"I could rig it just enough to go a hair faster but I was going for dramatic," Sven said. "Seeing as we're working for _the_ Elsa and she likes that kinda thing, right?"

"Where is the band anyway?" Kristoff said to Anna.

She shrugged. "Last I saw them they were gonna grab ice cream. I swear, they try to be so cool but they're freaking out over an ad in the paper about a special on double scoops half off." Anna got to her feet and stretched, eyes wandering about the room. "I feel like I'm Haruhi and I'm surrounded by the Host Club."

"Would that make Elsa Tamaki?" Sven called from his spot.

Kristoff let out a bark of laughter and Anna grinned.

"I guess it would," she said.

Sven retracted the chandelier and went on to program a few things in the tech table, occasionally checking if a spotlight was working or if the fake snow was ready to go. Kristoff was tuning Olaf's guitar slightly and testing the sound on the amps, the strings sending vibrating sounds throughout the auditorium. Anna, while propping up Sitron's bass on the stand, she noticed movement in the mezzanine of the theatre. She paused and watched the silhouette for a few minutes before it sat down in one of the seats.

"Hey, I'll be right back," Anna said to Kristoff, who merely nodded, still focused on the guitar.

Anna strode off the stage and went to the back of the auditorium, taking the staircase up to the mezzanine. She stepped through the stairway that cut a path through two sections of seats. She found Elsa sitting at the bottommost corner, watching the stage action.

"Hey," she said quietly, not looking at Anna.

"Hi," Anna responded, crossing over and sitting beside her. "What are you doing?"

"Getting a feeling of insignificance and modesty," Elsa said blandly.

Anna had to suppress a snort. "What?"

"I like to see what it's like on this side, remember?" Elsa said. "I like to sit and watch what comes to life… so I can be thankful for how far I've come." She rested her arms on the railing in front of her, her chin going atop them. Her eyes were lidded, casting an almost tired gaze across the room. "If I don't do this, I think, I'll become more big headed than you already claim I am." The corners of her mouth turned upwards gently. "But I can be humble if I wish."

"I've never seen this side of you," Anna said.

"It's not one I like to show," Elsa said plainly.

"Figures."

Elsa leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest, glancing at her girlfriend kindly.

"What are you doing up here?" she asked.

"Oh, I was just curious about who was up here," Anna said. "But I guessed it was you. Were you not interested in the ice cream deal?"

"The flavors were all exotic and stuff," Elsa said. "Like mango and custard. I like classics… unless it's Häagen-Dazs."

Anna smiled. "I see. Picky, picky."

"You know it." Elsa moved one arm around Anna's shoulders. "But at the moment, I'm currently craving strawberry flavors."

Her voice turned coy, sultry. It wasn't the honeyed tone reserved for Anna. She was flirting straight up and Anna knew it at once.

So she raised a brow and leaned close to Elsa.

"Are you really?" she responded. "I don't think you can handle it."

"What makes you say that?" Elsa hummed, bringing one gloved hand up to Anna's face, her exposed fingers stroking the skin gently. "I think I've handled it pretty well so far. It's you who can't seem to hold down vanilla."

"Believe me, I've put up with that flavor for two months. I think I can hold it down just fine," Anna countered.

"I think I like the two mixed," Elsa said, her eyes dropping to Anna's lips.

"I agree," Anna said.

Elsa leaned closer and pressed their lips together in a quick, chaste kiss.

"Yeah," Elsa grinned as she pulled back. "Much better mixed."

"I don't think I'll get tired of kissing you freely," Anna said.

"Glad you enjoy them, kid." Elsa winked before getting to her feet, pulling Anna up with her. Her hands were at Anna's waist as they stood, the two smiling stupidly at one another. "But remember there's still revenge to be had."

"Can't you let it—?"

"No."

Anna rolled her eyes, moving her arms around Elsa's neck.

"You're impossible," Anna stated.

"I know."

She kissed her again, bringing their bodies closer. Anna's hands fell from over Elsa's shoulders to cradle her face instead. Just when Elsa went to move it a bit farther, one of mics let out an ear piercing screech, the sound ringing all around them and forcing the two apart, hands flying to their ears and grimaces on their faces.

When the ringing died down, they uncovered their ears and glared down at the tech table where Sven was frantically turning a few knobs down.

"Sorry, sorry!" he cried. "My bad!"

"Fuck, Sven!" Kristoff yelped from the stage, a finger in his ear as he tried to get it to work again. "What the hell was that!?"

"I said I was sorry!" Sven argued.

"Damn techies," Elsa groaned. "C'mon, Anna, let's go get some lunch. On me."

"Ooh, kinky," Anna teased.

"Har, har. Not like tha— you _know_ what I meant," Elsa snapped. "You're an ass."

"Yup!" Anna chirped, following Elsa out, their fingers interlocked. "But you're still dating me!"

* * *

The night of the concert was nothing but busy backstage. Anna was up on the catwalks, down in the catacombs, and rushing back and forth on stage to make sure everything was prepared. She hadn't worked this hard on the entire tour but ever since Kristoff put her to good use, she was actually learning many new skills to put into action during the performances.

Before the show, Elsa was standing side stage, adjusting her gloves, and bouncing in place to pump herself up. She had a look of determination etched all over, prepared to wreck the audience with a performance they won't soon forget. The opening band had already gotten off stage and the theatre was growing dark.

Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow had scampered on stage and took their places, waiting for Elsa.

Anna came up behind her and clamped both her hands on Elsa's shoulders but didn't startle the older girl. Elsa took in a deep breath as a pair of lips made contact with her cheek.

"Kick ass," Anna encouraged, "until there's no more ass left to kick."

"Damn straight."

"Make them bow down to you!"

"Worship the queen."

"Go get 'em, babe," Anna told her.

Elsa bounded away from Anna and jumped onto her spot, grabbing the mic as Sitron began to strum out a pounding baseline with Olaf joining in at once. Marshmallow played along, his head banging to the beat. Anna recognized the beginning immediately. Black Sheep by Metric and she knew it fit perfectly with the ferocity that Elsa was going for and feeling at the given moment.

As the opening lyric came up, the lights blew up on Elsa, her voice reverberating through the entire auditorium.

Everyone went ballistic.

And Elsa was eating it up, loving it, and getting right into the groove of things. Olaf's eyes were shut tight as he let the music carry him away. Sitron was practically making love to his bass, it was so close to his body. Elsa's hips started their swaying, driving her fans crazy… and driving Anna pretty crazy backstage.

She was where Elsa left her and was cheerfully bobbing her head to the song, arms crossed casually, but her eyes were zeroed in on Elsa's hips. She knew all too well how magical they were and there was knot being tied in her stomach from simply watching them. She also knew that she needed to stop thinking about those damn hips otherwise she would end up dropping the whole "no sex" agreement and take Elsa backstage after she was done with the show.

Thankfully Kristoff called her attention during the next song with information on Arrowhead water being absent. Anna pulled together her best pissed-off face and marched over to where he indicated the caterer to be.

After five songs, Elsa took a short break from singing to address the crowd. She called them all to order by holding up a calm hand until complete silence fell.

"Such loyalty in my subjects," Elsa chuckled. "Thank you." _Time for my revenge, Anna, darling._ "You know, I'd like to ask… you all know I am in the sexual preference of the female gender, correct?"

A couple of cheers and claps were tossed around in the crowd.

"Well, I've always found the female body to be a temple. It has so many little niches and ticks and you must treat as a sanctuary of your own. Men, take notes." The band mates and several audience members laughed. "A woman moves with grace, most of the time. I happen to know a certain girl who is rather clumsy but I digress. A woman knows what she wants and will get it. A woman is fierce. A woman is a warrior. She will go to hell and back just to prove a point she is very dedicated to. And it's not always a bad quirk. Believe me. Woman are the embodiment of humanity. It _is_ a man's world but what is man without woman? Then again, more women have the confidence to be with other women nowadays so men are kinda fucked in that right."

Another round of laughter.

"Men are interesting creatures but I think women are far more interesting. Women are truly beautiful. Have you ever stared at a woman's body and just thought _whoa_. It's fucking magical. I love women. They're awesome. Body image is one thing. Her mind is complicated but highly wired. Yet, I find that I have been attracted to one thing in particular when I narrow it down to my romantic choices. What I love most about girls is the way they _sound_."

Anna, who was clutching a cool bottle of freshly delivered Arrowhead water side stage, furrowed her brows at Elsa. Where was she going with this little speech?

"It can be any sound, really," Elsa went on to say, walking in an arch around the stage. Olaf was sending her a peculiar look but she ignored it. "The way they laugh. The way they speak. Or… how they _moan_."

Kristoff, standing beside Anna, choked on his drink. Anna's jaw fell open and her eyes nearly popped out of her head. They way Elsa said that sent chills across the entire auditorium— hell, the entire city.

"There's a verity of moans but… if I may, I'd like to give you my favorites," Elsa said, a smirk crawling across her lips.

A few sounds of approval and a few people even cried out "do it!" very loudly. The lead singer side-glanced at the ever so incredulous Olaf, winked at him, and then faced her audience.

And she screwed up her face in concentration and pressed the mic even closer to her lips before she let out the first moan. It was long and deep, carrying out into the audience. She was greeted with hoots and hollers.

So she kept going.

With each moan, the knot in Anna's stomach wound tighter and she had to uncap the bottle that was originally for Elsa when she got off stage and started to chug down the cold water, hoping that would calm her down.

"Here's my personal favorite," Elsa said, her voice raspy and sultry. She cleared her throat and in a perfect impersonation of Anna— although only the band and the crew members recognized it— Elsa groaned out, "Oh, _Elsa_."

Anna choked on her water and it dribbled down her front, cheeks aflame, as the cheers grew tenfold. Olaf was standing with his hands over his mouth in shock and trying not to giggle. Sitron was dying of laughter on his side, leaning on one of the amps for support. Marshmallow had covered his eyes with his hands, shaking his head but grinning. Kristoff was gawking at Elsa while patting Anna on the back to calm her coughing fit. Sven, at the tech table, was wide-eyed and very red in the face.

"Fucking bitch," Anna snarled. "This is her goddamn revenge!"

Elsa obviously didn't hear her but she had given Anna a quick glance to see her girlfriend doubled over in shock, pounding her chest with her fist.

 _Mission accomplished_ , Elsa thought snidely.

"Well, now that's out of the way," Elsa said, laughing herself. "How about we play a few more for you?"

* * *

" _The cold never bothered me anyway_ ," Elsa finished, the stage going dark at once and the fans screamed out in approval.

The band went side stage, elated smiles on their faces as they approached Kristoff and Anna. The redhead's eyes were bright and angry as they landed on Elsa, who gave her an innocent shrug.

"Revenge, baby," Elsa said.

Anna marched over and grabbed Elsa by the collar of her shirt, making the older girl slip out of her cool demeanor for a second.

"You suck," Anna growled before promptly shoving her lips onto Elsa's.

As the two got rather involved with one another, Kristoff giving the guys towels and water, congratulating them on a successful performance. They were chatting idly and about to head to the dressing rooms but the sounds of the crowd made Sitron pause. He tapped Olaf on the shoulder, who grabbed Marshmallow's attention.

"What?" the drummer asked, giving Sitron a curious expression.

"Listen," Sitron breathed. "Elsa, stop devouring your girlfriend and listen!"

Elsa and Anna pulled away, blinking at the bassist. He nodded at the stage and everyone strained their ears. A rousing chant of "Dry Ice" was rising up from the fans, hands clapping in unison. The band exchanged astonished looks and Elsa stepped towards the stage.

"Do… do they want an _encore_?" she said slowly.

"Sounds like it," Anna said.

"How can we be sure?" Olaf wondered.

"Like this," Elsa said, carefully striding back onto stage with her band behind her. "Did you guys want more of us?" she said into the mic, earning a humungous amount of cries from the fans.

"Looks like it's an encore!" Olaf said giddily, running over to his guitar.

The other two took that as a cue to get to their instruments. Elsa turned to Olaf with an uncertain smile.

"We didn't rehearse this," she said to him.

"Who needs rehearsal? The best stuff comes from raw emotion. How 'bout this song to start?"

Olaf let his fingers fly over the strings and play the intro to Sweet Child O' Mine and the crowd went wild. Sitron fell into place when it was appropriate, followed by Marshmallow. Elsa got into the groove at once and everybody clapped along as she sang out.

Side stage, Anna and Kristoff were dancing goofily in celebration of the band's success of an encore. Sven was cranking up several lights and special effects from the tech table, swaying to the song.

They ended up performing six more unrehearsed, unexpected songs and _killed_ it. Elsa was on such a natural high that she was the last to leave the stage. Her arms were extended and she was letting the ear-splitting applause surround her. She gave a final bow before wobbling backstage and falling into Anna's arms where she actually broke down crying.

"I've never gotten an encore before," she croaked.

Anna was genuinely surprised by that. "Really? I would've thought you've gotten tons."

"No… never," Elsa said, burying her face deeper into Anna's shoulder. "This was so… I don't even know what to say."

Anna kissed Elsa's neck sweetly. "I know what to say," she said. "I'm proud of you. So very proud of you."

That seemed to do it because Elsa clutched Anna closer to her and didn't let go for a solid five minutes, her body was quivering with so much astonishment and joy, tears staining Anna's jacket. Anna responded by hugging Elsa tightly, kissing her genially over and over again until Elsa revealed her face and kissed Anna fully.

"Sorry about the moaning," she said as she pulled back.

Anna snorted. "It's alright! It was funny. I was just… it was shocking." She kissed Elsa's nose. "Your own form of revenge when you know we're not in a complete sexual relationship yet."

"Not counting that one time?"

"Nope. But that's beside the point," Anna said, wrapping her arm around Elsa's waist, the blonde automatically draping an arm across her shoulders. "We have an encore to celebrate! It's time we catch one of those parties."

"Actually, I had something else in mind," Elsa said. "I'd prefer to celebrate tomorrow… at breakfast. Just you and me on a proper date."

"A date date?" Anna said, beaming.

Elsa snickered. "Yeah. A date date."

"Sounds great. I suppose you're pretty beat, huh?"

The two exited the theatre and started to head towards the bus where Oaken had the keys to the hotel rooms, the boys going out for the night. Elsa was stopped a few times by fans and she signed autographs, took selfies with some, and gave out a few hugs just because she was in such an elated mood. Anna wasn't noticed by the fans but she didn't mind. She knew everyone was focused on Elsa, not her.

After they collected the key and some clothes for the night and the next day, they walked together to the hotel where they happily shared a room together. As Elsa was in the restroom brushing her teeth, Anna was sitting on her side of the bed, texting Rapunzel.

Anna: _I have news_

Rapunzel: _Oooooooh do tell_

Anna: _youre gonna laugh_

Rapunzel: _am not_

Anna paused her fingers from punching in the response and she glanced at Elsa, the door open and showing off the punk who was now flossing.

"Hey, Els," Anna said.

"Ah-huh?" Elsa replied, her mouth wide open as she worked on her pearly whites.

"Can we freak someone out?"

"Who 'id you 'ave i' mi'?" Elsa managed to ask.

"My cousin. Rapunzel," Anna said with a snide smile. "The one who dragged me to your concert in the first place. She'd be really freaked out if she knew we were dating."

Elsa removed the floss. "Fucking go for it!"

Anna pressed contact, then FaceTime. After three beats, Rapunzel picked up, looking very suspicious.

"Okay, what's up?" she demanded. "You've been very cryptic for the past three minutes."

"It's just something that's better said than texted," Anna said innocently.

"Did you kill someone?"

"Yes, Rapunzel. I murdered somebody in cold blood and decided to tell you about it over FaceTime like it's no big deal."

"Don't be a smart-ass. What's really up?"

On cue, Elsa slid beside Anna and pecked her on the cheek before grinning down at the phone holding the image of the brunette.

"Hey, Rapunzel," she said calmly. "Good to see you again."

The girl stared at the couple in complete astonishment before promptly hanging up the call, making the two girls convulse into laughter.

* * *

**I do hope this was better than the last chapter. The breakfast date will be during the next one. I might skip ahead a few stops to get them to Rapid City so the real fun can begin.**

**What do you think? Which would you prefer? More slow burn or getting to the fun?**

**The Elsa moaning was actually inspired by Idina Menzel during the Vagina Monologues (yes that's a thing if you didn't know) sent to me by my friend who goes by Chibiandbasil on this site. So thanks, girl! I owe you one.**

**Anyway, thanks for the love and support. And thanks for sticking with me through the spotty updates this month. In the new year, more will appear, I promise. Just know that the holidays suck for writers and I and tot squeeze in two chapters for** _**Elsa and Anna** _ **and a chapter for** _**Sun Kissed** _ **so… yeah.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	19. Titanium

**Elsanna goodness in this chapter to make up for my long hiatus. I promise that I will start being more on point when I update now that it's a new year. Every Sunday if real life doesn't break down the door and go "surprise bitch!"**

**So… here we go.**

* * *

Just as their laughter died down, Rapunzel called back on FaceTime. Anna hushed Elsa before she pressed answer, grinning down at the very flustered and very offended brunette. She looked as if Anna had betrayed her in some way. As if Anna had snatched away the boy Rapunzel was in love with, knowing that she liked him. But it wasn't too different since Anna was now dating the singer Rapunzel idolized.

"When?" Rapunzel snapped. "When and why the fuck didn't you tell me ahead of time!?"

"This is recent," Anna said quickly, rolling her eyes.

"So you actually _are_ dating?" Rapunzel said.

"Jealous?" teased Elsa, winking down at Rapunzel.

"You have no idea," both Anna and Rapunzel said.

"I can't believe you're dating Elsa! _The_ Elsa!" spluttered the brunette, running a hand through her hair in astonishment.

"Keep the compliments coming, babe," Elsa grinned.

"Shut up," Anna said, shoving Elsa into the pillows behind her.

"This is unbelievable," Rapunzel whispered to herself. "I really cannot believe it. You're dating Elsa. Elsa. Holy balls, man. This is… whoa."

"Keep it on the down low, though," Elsa said quickly. "If you don't mind, darling, we're not very public yet."

"We're kinda fucked because I just told Arendelle's biggest gossip," Anna mumbled.

"No, no," Rapunzel muttered. "My lips are sealed, I swear. Okay, well, it's almost dinner time over here so I should hop off. Congrats, Anna. You won the fucking body lottery."

As Elsa cracked up laughing, Anna rolled her eyes yet again and bid Rapunzel goodnight.

"You're a damn leech, feeding off compliments from your fans," Anna said bluntly, plugging her phone into its charger before sinking beneath the blankets.

"Baby, I just let 'em tell me the truth," Elsa shrugged, following suit and turning off the light beside the bed. "And hey, are you sure you want to be sharing a bed with me just yet?"

"Els, we had sex before we even started this whole thing," Anna deadpanned. "I think sleeping in the same bed is child's play compared to that, don't you?"

The punk started laughing but was cut off with a short cough, alarming Anna slightly. She reached out for Elsa but was pushed away gently as the coughing fir continued.

"Oh god, you aren't dying are you?" Anna said, half-joking.

Again, she made Elsa laugh but she was cough-smiling instead.

"No, you moron," she croaked, rubbing her neck with her gloved hands. "Maybe I caught a lil' bug. I don't want you getting sick. I'll sleep on the couch—"

"It's fine, relax," Anna said quickly. "Just take a drink of water. It'll sooth your throat. I mean, hey, you've been singing for a long period of time. You need to rest your voice."

Elsa made a mumbling sound before getting out of bed, picking her way through the dark room, and unscrewing a bottle of Arrowhead water she had snagged from the concert once she found it at the table. She took several long swigs, Anna watching her carefully, before stopping and wiping her mouth with the heel of her hand.

"Fuck," Elsa whined, crawling back in with Anna.

"Just rest yourself and lay off any dairy products," Anna advised. "And take off your stupid gloves before you go to bed."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay." She peeled off the leather and tossed them over to her clothing pile. "You know, kid, sometimes it feels like they're a part of my skin."

"That's only 'cause you wear them too often." Anna yawned and cuddled up closer to Elsa. "Now can we just sleep? I have a hot breakfast date tomorrow with some punk I kinda have a crush on."

"Do you really?" In the honeyed tone. "I have a hot breakfast date with an adorable roadie I want to kiss senseless."

"You're impossible, I hope you know that."

"You keep saying that, darling, but you know you can't stop it."

A tender kiss was pressed against Anna's lips, a hand running down her exposed legs, making the ginger shiver at the touch of the scars. She absolutely adored this side of Elsa. And the kiss was taking her breath away.

As Elsa pulled back, Anna felt exhaustion suddenly crash down on her like a ten ton weight. She thought she heard Elsa whisper a wish of pleasant dreams but she was too far gone in drowsiness to reply.

* * *

While the boys split off and went to explore the city of Memphis, Elsa and Anna scoped out a diner called The Arcade Restaurant. But Anna found something rather odd about their walk together. Elsa was refusing to hold Anna's hand and refusing to drape an arm around her shoulders. They only walked side-by-side like they used to; Elsa's hands in her jacket pockets and Anna's at her sides.

She didn't say anything about it, however. She and Elsa were still on the edges of a relationship and so far the only thing they had done was kiss. Anna didn't count their little "sex-capade" beforehand. They hadn't been official yet. Perhaps, she wondered, Elsa was uncomfortable with PDA…

Then she reminded herself of the numerous times Elsa had made out with a fan during a party or at a bar. Uncomfortable with PDA seemed a silly assumption now.

"After you," Elsa said sweetly, pulling back the glass door of the diner.

"Oh, thanks," Anna replied, the smile on Elsa's face giving her butterflies. "Thank you."

She stepped over the threshold, Elsa following suit. The punk's blue eyes scanned the restaurant before they fell on a booth that was secluded enough. If she angled herself in the right way, nobody would be able to tell it was her.

"Over there," Elsa said, prodding Anna in the back with her finger.

The two strode through the mostly empty diner and sat in the booth, Elsa on one side and Anna on the other. Elsa's back was facing the front door and she positioned herself so her face couldn't be seen easily.

"You're acting very odd," Anna commented as a waitress shuffled over and handed them menus. "Is it that cough again?"

"No," Elsa said, reaching for a menu. "I just don't want to be seen."

"With me?" Anna added, shoulders drooping.

The blonde's eyes widened. "What!? No, no, no!" She shook her head. "I just don't want to get spotted by a fan and have them ruin the morning." She smiled. "I just want a nice breakfast with you."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Anna. I'm sure."

Anna pursed her lips skeptically and gazed down at what was available for breakfast. Elsa realized she was still hesitant to believe her and sighed leaning forward and taking her girlfriend's hand.

"Anna, talk to me," she said. "Please, tell me what's on your mind."

The redhead saw only the Elsa she knew in the expression the girl across from her wore. The Elsa who was kind and compassionate, worrying about others instead of herself. The Elsa that had kissed her until she was swimming in ecstasy in a hotel in Raleigh.

"You… you wouldn't hold my hand or even touch me on the way over here," Anna said quietly.

"Oh." Elsa slid her hand back and fiddled with the end of her braid. "Well, it has nothing to do with you. It's… well, have you noticed that I'm hardly surrounded by the stupid paparazzi?"

As Anna thought about it, she realized it was true. Only fans have ever swarmed Elsa and the band even if Oaken was with them. So why hasn't the paparazzi touched Dry Ice in the most obnoxious way possible?

"What's that have to do with anything?" Anna wondered, furrowing her brows together.

"They don't have any dirt on me," Elsa said with a smug grin. "I haven't done anything illegal, worn anything inappropriate, or dated another celebrity. The last time the paparazzi caught me on camera, I was talking with a fan and the speculated I was dating her but _she_ called up the magazine and was like, uhm, no."

"So you don't want the paparazzi to find a reason to bug you," Anna said, understanding. "Public affection is a no-go then?"

"I want to kiss you in public, trust me," Elsa snorted. "But I also don't want _your_ face plastered all over the country. It's not fair to you. I don't give two shits if they get my mug on camera. You're just an innocent by-stander in all this." She lifted a gloved hand chest high. "But if they ever found out about my secret, they'd have a field day."

"But they won't," Anna said firmly.

"Haven't yet," Elsa said. "They're pretty ruthless. And I think any little thing can set them off. Seeing me with you, being affectionate and all, would be a goldmine to them." She waved the back of her hand at the menu. "Now, I want you to order whatever you want. I don't care how expensive it is. Hell, you can have ten refills of hot chocolate for all I care. I just want you to have a nice breakfast."

Anna batted her lashes sarcastically. "Oh, my knight in leather armor."

"Kinky," Elsa echoed from the previous day. "I didn't know you read Fifty Shades of Grey."

With a roll of teal eyes and a Doc Marten print on Elsa's jeans, they returned to perusing their menus.

* * *

That night, Elsa was regretting having had buttermilk pancakes topped off with whipped cream and butter. Her throat was starting to hurt and the cold temperature of backstage wasn't helping much either as she warmed up her vocals with a piano she had found in a lone dressing room.

She knew she could sing with a sore throat, though. She had lost her voice in her senior year of high school during Musical Theatre and she still sang the hell out of the Cell Block Tango for the mini-musical final. Her voice was scratchy and cracked but she managed it anyway.

No, singing regular songs wasn't what worried her.

It was the last note of "Let It Go." Sure, she sometimes adjusted the key to fit her voice on a specific night but she belted it just the same. But she had never attempted to sing the song with a shot voice before, let alone touch the high note at the end.

There was the option to skive out of it and not sing it whatsoever. But then she would disappoint her fans. That was the one song she had confidently written on her own. The one song everyone was expecting Elsa to sing at the end of the show.

She had Anna run out to a Starbucks and got her hot tea with honey a while ago but it did nothing to sooth her throat.

There was a knock on the door and Anna stepped inside with a headset and a clipboard in her hand, looking very much like a professional. Kristoff had given them to her to keep in contact throughout the show in case something went wrong or a light needed to be changed. She was a classic backstage worker now.

"The opening band is almost finished," Anna said. "You doing alright?"

"I just… eugh." Elsa nervously tapped the highest key on the piano. "I'm more nervous with this cough. But I can't let down the fans."

"You'll do great. You always do," Anna said supportively, crossing over to her.

Elsa could hear the sounds of the opening band as they sang out "Barracuda." It was the same group that had played the night before, getting more of a viewing now that they were opening for Dry Ice in Memphis. They never had the same opening band. It was usually some rinky-dink hometown band trying to get some recognition.

"Finish your tea," Anna instructed, spying the half empty cup on the piano. "Do you need me to warm it up for you?"

"No… It's fine," Elsa insisted. "I'll be out in time for the show."

"Should I change the songs? We can drop—"

"I'm sticking to the rehearsed set."

Anna nodded before leaving her girlfriend alone. Elsa chugged down the last of her lukewarm tea, sitting down at the piano. She tinkered with the keys for a while, humming on key with the acoustic version of "Let It Go" she only played for herself. Humming it was far easier than singing it and she knew it. But she was trying to kid herself so she could give herself a confidence boost.

She heard the band outside say their goodbyes and announce that Dry Ice would be on in five minutes.

Elsa swallowed her fear and got to her feet, striding out to the main backstage area. She was handed earplugs from Kristoff and stuck them inside, taking deep breaths. Olaf approached her and placed a gloved hand on her shoulder.

"Els, we can cancel the show if you aren't feeling well," he reminded her.

"No, I'm not gonna do that to them," Elsa said, poking a finger towards the auditorium. "They paid good money for a show and dammit I'm giving them a show."

"You're gonna sing 'Let It Go?'" Sitron said, appearing at her side.

"Yes, I am."

"Are you nuts?" Olaf gasped. "That high note… it'll ruin your throat!"

"I'm gonna give them what they want, and that's final," Elsa said sharply. "Now get on stage! I'll be out to start 'Raise Your Glass' on time. Just play the beginning and I'll jump out. No biggie."

Sitron and Olaf exchanged uncertain looks but knew they were going to get nowhere with Elsa at this point. So they turned away, heading onto the darkening stage with Marshmallow lumbering after them.

"Sven, you got the cues all set up?" Kristoff spoke into the headset, talking to Sven who was at the tech table as usual.

"Got everything. No changes?" Sven responded.

"No changes."

"Big mistake," Anna commented dryly. "She's gonna destroy her voice."

"She's a loyal leader," Sven snickered in her ear. "Lights are coming up in…"

Olaf started to riff on his guitar for the beginning of the song and just like Elsa promised, she burst onto stage, the crowd going wild.

Everything went smoothly for the first few songs, Elsa hardly showing that her throat wasn't at its best. She did have to take a breath and she called off stage for a bottle of water. Anna tossed it at her and Elsa caught it with ease, winking at her.

"Thanks, babe," she said casually enough for the audience to believe that it was just a simple roadie but enough for Anna to know she was being affectionate.

She took a quick swig before nodding at Olaf, indicating she was ready to do the next song.

At the very end, Sven cued up the piano guy in the back to play the start of "Let It Go." Elsa stood in a power stance and grazed the microphone with her lips, singing out her ballad and focusing every breath she had in her diaphragm and not so much her throat.

Anna was biting her lip and clutching her clipboard to her chest nervously as the guitar, bass, and drums jumped in simultaneously during the first chorus. Kristoff was crossing his fingers at her side, watching Elsa move across the stage with a determined passion.

Her voice was staggering just a bit as she came to the final part, the platform beneath her raising slightly as she sung out that the perfect girl was gone.

The note came.

Her voice was tired.

She couldn't sing it and she was close to tears as she basically scream-sang the note, her voice failing on her.

" _The cold never bothered me anyway_ ," Elsa sang and the lights blacked out.

In spite of the very noticeable screw-up, the audience cheered for her anyway, screaming her name and their declarations of love for her. Elsa slumped off stage, pulling at her hair, tears stinging the back of her eyes.

The excitement from yesterday's encore had completely left her system, humiliation and shame replacing her euphoria. She was crying in an entirely different way than last night and didn't even stop to talk to Anna or Kristoff or any of the band members. She ran off to the hotel, throwing her earplugs on the ground in the process.

Anna meekly picked them up and stared after Elsa, feeling herself choke up in sympathy. A few stagehands were walking by, about to clear up some of the equipment and Anna heard their conversation.

"Jeez, she really fucked up tonight," one said, humor laced in his tone.

"About time she realizes she's not so fucking perfect. That song is so obnoxious," the other replied.

"Yeah. Too bad she's not auto tuned on stage!"

They both convulsed into laughter and something snapped in Anna. She whirled around, grabbed one of them by the collar, and sent a hard punch into his face. He went flying backwards and landed on his back, his friend too stunned to do anything else.

"Shut up!" Anna yelled. "Shut your fucking mouths!"

She threatened to hit the other guy but her cowered, eyes wide at the roadie.

"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" the guy she hit demanded ferociously, spitting out some blood.

"You think that singing that note is easy!? I'd like to see you try it after years of wear and tear of singing. Try it after the longest tour of your life. Try it when you're ill!"

"Step off, kid," the other stagehand snapped. "Why don't you go defend your talentless queen somewhere else?"

Anna was about to storm him but Kristoff saw her and grabbed her around the waist just in time, trying to calm her down.

"Easy there, fiestypants!" Kristoff said. "Just let the moron be!"

"Let me at 'im!"

"Anna, stop it!"

"Okay!"

"You good?"

"I'm calm," Anna sighed.

"Great." Kristoff set her down and she pretended to turn away but she quickly turned and smacked the other stagehand in the face, however he didn't acquire as much damage as his friend did. "Oh, come _on_!" Kristoff yanked her away, Anna shouting rather ugly slurs at them that Merida had taught her a long time ago, the two staggering towards the stage and grumbling to themselves.

"You should have let me kicked their asses!" Anna whined, wrenching her arm out of his grip, tears falling down her face. "Elsa is mortified enough! Imagine the shit people will say about her online."

"Those people are idiots, Anna, and don't understand the strength it takes to sing that song over and over again," Kristoff reminded her.

"Oh, no… Elsa!" Anna gasped. She ripped her headset off and shoved it into Kristoff's hands. "I gotta find her!"

She took off running and pushed by several people, heading to the hotel in desperation.

 _Please be there, please be there,_ she repeated in her head, jamming the elevator button with her finger, bouncing on her heels anxiously.

Once the doors slid open, Anna ran inside and slammed the button to get to her floor. Chest heaving and the elevator chugging upwards, Anna waited until it landed on the designated floor. She ran down the hall, got to her room, and slid inside the key.

Elsa was thankfully inside, sitting in the middle of the bed with her head in her hands.

"Elsa," Anna said weakly, her knuckles throbbing from punching the stagehands. "Elsa, look at me."

A red and blotchy face lifted itself from the leather bound hands to face the out of breath roadie. Anna rushed over and pulled Elsa into a warm hug, planting kisses all over the tear-stained skin.

"You were wonderful," Anna whispered.

"No… I failed."

"Your voice was so strong."

"Anna, I already saw the forums on my phone."

"Their opinion doesn't mean anything."

"Anna, stop trying to—"

The redhead shoved her lips onto Elsa's and forced them both down onto the bed, Elsa underneath Anna. The kiss became lengthy, the tears of the punk creating a sort of slickness in their kiss. Elsa wanted to push Anna away, no intention on getting her sick but the roadie pulled back first. She pressed kisses along Elsa's neck, earning tiny moans from her girlfriend.

"Don't let this one thing bother you," Anna breathed into Elsa's ear. "You are far better than you think you are. You were sick, Elsa. You have a sore throat but you _still_ went on stage. That takes real guts and I'm so proud of you."

"The media must have found this to be something to bombard me about now," Elsa said.

"Fuck them," Anna said firmly. "What matters is that you are so dedicated to your fans that you don't care about your own health and perform anyway. If it were anybody else, they would have either lip-synched or canceled the show altogether." She kissed the shell of Elsa's ear. "And guess what? Tonight was your last night here. Tomorrow, we hit the road and head to wherever the next stop is. You can take that time to rest up. Who cares what people think? You rocked the house tonight and your fans aren't… well, your _true_ fans aren't going to think any less of you."

Elsa stared at Anna in wonderment as the supported herself above the punk with a loving twinkle in her eyes.

"You're too good for me," Elsa said.

"Nonsense," Anna said.

"You really are."

"Elsa, stop it." She kissed her again. "I'm very lucky to have you."

Tears built up in Elsa's eyes again and they flowed freely down the sides of her face as Anna kissed it calmly, whispering sweet nothings to her.

"If it's any consolation," Anna said after a few minutes, "I punched to guys in the face for trash talking you."

Elsa laughed. "Did you really?"

"Of course I did. _Nobody_ messes with my girlfriend," Anna said.

The older girl felt her heart pound at the way "my girlfriend" rolled so easily off Anna's tongue. Anna scooted herself so she could spoon against Elsa, kissing her jawline as Elsa calmed herself, an arm around Anna's shoulders.

* * *

The next morning, the band boarded the bus, leaving Memphis behind. Elsa sat in the booth quietly, nursing a cup of tea with lemon and honey wearing Anna's college sweatshirt that she hated and a pair of worn out sweats, the gloves over her hands regardless, her body trying to get comfortable. Anna was next to her, reading a book for school. She didn't even taunt Elsa when the girl requested Anna's sweatshirt. She wordlessly handed it to her, kissing her tenderly and wishing her a speedy recovery.

The boys hadn't said a word about the incident but gave her subtle support. Kristoff was the one who made tea. Olaf let Elsa borrow his sweats, the pair is favorite because they had a snowman embroidered on the hem. Sitron played a round of Elsa's favorite game with her. Marshmallow braided Elsa's hair and Sven offered her a blanket.

Their next stop was Springfield, Missouri but Oaken took his time getting there to give Elsa plenty the opportunity to rest. The ride was quiet but nobody felt the need to break the silence. The only sounds filling the atmosphere was the chugging of the bus and the white noise of the video game Olaf and Sitron were playing.

An hour into the drive, Elsa finally spoke. Her voice was a little raspier than usual but it didn't stop her.

"Thank you," she told them all.

* * *

**Cute family love chapter and as much Elsanna fluff I could cram in there.**

**This was inspired by the hate poor Idina Menzel received from the New Years Eve clip of her singing Let It Go and couldn't reach the high note at the end. There are countless reasons why she was unable to but she's done it many times before so people need to shut the fuck up about it.**

**So, I've decided to skip to Rapid City in the next chapter**

**Thanks so much for waiting on me, you guys. I know you all want this story to update more often but I'm only human.**

**I appreciate your continued support. :D**

**Kisses!**

**Fav/Follow/Review**


	20. Sex On Fire

**By the way, may I just say, I** _**love** _ **you guys so much. You and your supportive reviews are really fantastic. It's those kinds of things that make me wanna update more often.**

**Have a chapter!**

**Really dorky, dumb, NSFW content in the beginning so if you don't like, don't read.**

* * *

It was the last performance of their Lincoln, Nebraska stop, Elsa singing her head off with new-found confidence. Since the off-key Memphis dilemma, the only bad thing that occurred was the back-lash of Dry Ice haters. But now Elsa was back with a powerful voice and was killing it on stage. The crowd was going crazy and Anna could have sworn she picked out a few girls passing out in the audience but she convinced herself her mind was playing tricks on her.

Anna was rather tired and wanted to go to the hotel. But not to sleep, exactly. No, she wanted _Elsa_. She wanted to get her under the sheets again. She was tired of the swear off of sex and wanted to talk to Elsa about it. They were dating and they had already passed the boundaries of waiting anyway.

And since their breakfast date, they had been on several smaller ones. They got ice cream on a pit-stop, had lunch at a Mexican restaurant that _wasn't_ Taco Bell, and cuddled while watching a movie in Elsa's room with a bowl of popcorn between them. They even took a break from one another for a while, Anna secluded her room while she studied and Elsa out with the boys, fooling around and playing some video games.

But Anna was really getting antsy. She had tried to drop hints but Elsa was either making her wait or was too daft not to get them. So the redhead knew she had to be upfront about it and tell it to her face.

"Hey, Kristoff," Anna said into the headset's mic, only heard by the blonde and Sven.

"What's up?" replied Kristoff, his voice in her right ear.

"How do you tell someone straight up you wanna have sex?"

Sven snorted and Kristoff choked back a laugh, a stagehand nearby overhearing Anna's words sending her a strange look.

"Uhm, why?" Kristoff said, trying to remain serious up on the catwalks.

"Because…" Anna cast a dangerous glance at the eavesdropping stagehand and he walked away quickly. "Because I think Elsa is too stupid to figure it out."

"Well, I usually tell the girl," Kristoff said casually. "With her consent, of course. I don't go up to random strangers and say, 'hey, let's fuck' and if she says no, I'm not gonna force her. I back off. I use finesse and get to know the person—"

"Kris, I think she's talking about when you're in an actual relationship," Sven said from the tech table, focusing a light on Olaf.

"Oh, right."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Just forget it."

"No, no, I can understand your plight, kid," Kristoff said. He had learned her pet name quickly and started calling her that along with everyone else. "I would just tell her. It's not a big deal that you want to have sex with your significant other. It's a form of expression. A form of love."

"Elsa and I aren't in love," Anna said, cracking open a can of Coke she swiped from the concessions. "We're dating. Dating doesn't equal love. We _like_ one another, though."

"The point is, it's a way to express affection and I don't think Elsa is the kind of person to laugh at someone for saying they want to have sex," Kristoff said.

"I concur. Show's almost over, Anna. It's a pretty successful one, too," Sven said. "Maybe show her a good time in rewards to her doing a good job."

Anna made a noise that indicated she understood what they meant.

It was the next best excuse to want to grab Elsa and kiss her breathless, wedge the leather pants she was currently wearing off her legs, and pull her blue tank top over her head.

With a determination to get Elsa in bed, Anna waited until the show was over. She watched with pride as Elsa successfully pulled off the last note of "Let It Go," her voice carrying through the auditorium like a siren to sailors, making every last one of her fans fall for her over and over again.

"Good night, Lincoln!" Elsa boomed into the mic, earning praises from the worshipers before bounding backstage.

Anna smiled as Elsa reached her, going in to kiss Anna.

"Good show, baby," the redhead cooed just as a grinning Elsa pressed her lips against hers.

"Thanks, kid," Elsa said, pulling back. "Gimme a minute, I have a few fans to see with backstage passes but I'll meet you at the hotel, alright? I got a surprise for you."

 _Me too_ , Anna thought. "Okay. See you then."

With another quick kiss, Elsa met up with her bandmates and they went together to greet the fans, Oaken at their heels.

"It's a sure thing, guys," Anna said into the headset. "I'm gonna do it."

"Good luck," Kristoff said.

"Use protection," Sven joked.

Anna removed the headset and turned it off, put it by the Dry Ice equipment where she knew Kristoff would find it. Then she made the long walk back to the hotel with ideas of how to seduce Elsa running through her mind.

Idea one was to wait naked on the bed in a rather sexual pose, casting the bedroom eyes over at Elsa as she walked in. Idea two was to make an excuse to use the restroom and then come out with nothing but her panties. Idea three, the least ridiculous of them, was to kiss Elsa until her hands started to wander.

Unfortunately, Anna didn't have the courage to do the first two ideas so she decided on the final idea. She was changing into her pajamas when Elsa came into the hotel room, taking off her gloves and tossing them on the table set where Anna had left her own pair.

"You in here, kid?" Elsa called.

"The bathroom," Anna said, poking her head out and waving. "What's the surprise?"

"First of all, I want to ask you a question."

"Shoot."

"Are you through with the swear off sex thing yet? Because I'm starting to hate it," Elsa said impatiently, kicking off her boots.

"I was actually going to suggest it tonight," Anna said shyly.

"Were you really?" The blonde's mouth upturned in a smile. "Well, that makes the surprise a whole lot better."

"What is it?" Anna asked excitedly, bouncing out of the bathroom in her pajamas.

"Ah, well, it wouldn't be a surprise," Elsa reasoned, tucking a strand of hair behind Anna's ear. "Why don't you slip out of those clothes and get into bed? I'll be a few seconds."

"Ooh, no strip teases?" Anna giggled.

"No, not exactly. What I have in mind kind of requires immediate attention," Elsa said huskily, bending down and kissing the shell of Anna's ear, knowing full well that they were very sensitive.

The roadie shivered. "Does it?"

"Mhm." Bare hands caressed the back of Anna's neck. "I'll be right out."

"Sounds good."

With a short kiss, Elsa retreated into the restroom and shut the door. Anna bit her lip, containing a grin, and tossed her shirt over her head, her sleeping shorts and underwear following. She crawled under the covers and waited in anticipation for what Elsa had in store for her.

Frankly, Anna didn't care what it was. She had experience with all sorts of things before. Toys, role-play, and the occasional lap dance to get things going. But Elsa didn't seem to be prepared for any of those other than the last one. Anna was in bed, not in a chair, so it couldn't have been that.

"You'll have to forgive me," Elsa called. "My voice is still a little strained from tonight."

Anna's brows furrowed in confusion. What did her voice have anything to do with sex besides, well, moaning?

"It's okay?" Anna said with uncertainty.

"And a cappella… well, I think I'm a bit better with music behind me but you can be the judge of that."

Now Anna was baffled. What in the hell was Elsa planning?

"You ready?" Elsa asked.

"I think so."

"Turn down the lamp lights. Set the mood."

Anna reached over and twisted the lamp lights to the left until they cast a gentle glow around the room.

"Okay…"

Elsa stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but her boxer shorts and low-cut tank top that made Anna's eyes zero onto her cleavage. The ginger flushed and gave Elsa's body quite the once over, teal orbs grazing over every curve that the pale skin of the punk had to offer.

"I thought you said no strip teases," Anna said, her voice a higher pitch than usual.

"Not from you." Elsa removed her tank top and Anna was pretty sure her heart either stopped or it was beating so fast she couldn't feel it anymore. "Enjoying the view?"

Anna nodded numbly, softly. She didn't wanted her gaze to shift from the blonde goddess in front of her.

Elsa asked again, "You ready?"

Growing impatient, "What are you even doing?"

"Relax, baby. And listen." Elsa held up a hand, directing it at Anna. And suddenly, her voice, singing solo, floated out of her luscious lips. A song Anna knew too well filled the room, " _Lay where you're laying… don't make a sound…_ "

 _Holy fuck she's serenading me Sex on Fire,_ Anna realized, eyes widening. _My sex song_.

It was a private show just for Anna to hear and to see. As she kept singing, Elsa inched closer to the bed. The redhead could feel her body get warmer as eye contact was never broken, icy irises boring into her and lighting her skin on fire.

The night was definitely not turning out the way she had imagined. She had no idea Elsa had this kind of foreplay in mind.

As soon as the punk reached the chorus, she was crawling across the bed slowly, hungrily. Anna wanted to bring her close and kiss her already but she was too petrified in shock and arousal to do anything about it.

Somehow during her trail to Anna, the shorts had been discarded and a cool hand was pressed against Anna's cheek. She took a moment to kiss her jaw, then cheekbone, then lips before singing again. The other hand curled around the blankets and she threw them back, exposing Anna's body but she didn't dare drop the eye contact.

" _The soft lips are open, Them knuckles are pale_ ," Elsa sang, straddling a heavily breathing Anna. " _It feels like you're dying—_ " She pressed a lingering kiss to Anna's lips and began to kiss down Anna's neck, earning a few thankful groans from the redhead. " _—you're dying… And you… your sex is on fire._ " With each pause between lyrics, she kissed Anna's quivering body, stopping at her chest to give them special attention.

Her lips were so playful against Anna's freckled skin, taking one nipple into her mouth and teasing it.

"Ah!" Anna cried, her eyes pinching closed. " _El_ sa." Her hands ran through the hair that Elsa had let down for once, grabbing at it in a way to keep herself grounded.

The punk's voice was starting to be drowned out by the rushing sounds in Anna's ears. Her whole body was igniting and Elsa's cold touch felt like ice sizzling against her. She knew Elsa was singing still as she continued to tease and feel Anna's stomach with her mouth.

Eventually, Elsa made her way back up to Anna's face and kissed her deeply, her right hand lingering near sodden folds. She positioned herself so she was lying side-by-side with Anna, her left hand at the back of Anna's neck, massaging it and keeping her steady.

"You sure you're ready to do this again so soon?" Elsa breathed.

"Elsa, you had me as soon as you started singing," Anna panted. "And as _ridiculous_ as it was, it's incredibly fucking hot."

A playful chuckle erupted from Elsa's throat. "Alright. Sit back and enjoy the ride. If I hurt you at all, let me know and I'll stop." She pressed a gentle kiss against Anna's neck. "Okay?"

Words were failing Anna the longer Elsa's fingers danced by her warmth. "Mhm."

"Do you want me to keep singing?"

"I don't care."

Deciding that Anna was already entrapped in her embrace and ready for some well-deserved affection, Elsa didn't finish the song. Perhaps another time they'd actually play the song but she had gotten Anna excited enough.

One finger slid inside Anna's entrance carefully, her thumb tracing her clit. The redhead's breath hitched, eyes still closed in bliss. Elsa's lips trailed kisses along Anna's chest and jaw, listening to the sound of her ragged breathing and thriving in it.

She slipped another finger in, exploring the insides and quickly locating Anna's G-spot, curling her fingers against it.

"Ng! _Ahh_ ," Anna groaned, her hips bucking against Elsa's hand. "Slower, slower, please."

Elsa complied, letting her thumb roll smoothly over the tiny bundle of nerves. Her scars were heavenly to the roadie, creating a friction she didn't think was possible. And Elsa was being so patient and caring towards her body, giving Anna all the time she needed to relax into it.

"Elsa… ah—" Anna's jaw clenched, wriggling on the bed, a sheen of sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Scarred fingers curled again, just enough to give Anna the searing hot pleasure she needed. Elsa kissed her, mouths opening and engaging in a heated make-out session, Anna managing to gain control of her hands and wrap them around her girlfriend's neck.

As Elsa kept going, Anna needs spiraled upwards and she started to thrust against her hand.

"N-now… more," was all Anna could manage as instruction, pulling her head away from the steaming kisses so she could breathe.

Eager to please, Elsa's thumb grazed along the slickness to apply more pressure to the bud, the sensation driving Anna mad. Her fingers pressed against her sweet spot, Anna's moans becoming louder and more high-pitched the closer she got to the edge.

With one last swirl of her thumb and press of her digits, Anna became undone, crying out Elsa's name with wicked delight, extraordinarily satisfied with the results of the evening.

The punk released her fingers and shamelessly rid them of the wetness with her mouth, watching Anna come down from her high, a blissful smile on her face.

"Wow," Anna gasped, the heel of her hand on her forehead. "Just… wow."

"You'll be speechless after oral with me," Elsa bragged playfully, kissing Anna's cheek. "But you look a bit too exhausted for that."

"Wait, what about you?"

Elsa shook her head. "I'm just fine. Frankly I wanted to give you a good time because you've been the best damn girlfriend I could ask for."

Anna's toes were curling and uncurling, riding out an aftershock.

"Spectacular," Anna sighed, closing her eyes and sinking into the pillow, Elsa reaching down and pulling the blankets over them. "Truly, you have a gift."

"You're hilarious," Elsa grinned, snuggling beneath the sheets.

"What gave you the inspiration to sing?" Anna giggled, scooting into Elsa's space, getting embraced and pulled nearer in the process by the blonde.

"I wanted to try something new." Elsa kissed her forehead. "Did you enjoy it?"

"It was dumb… but yes, I did."

* * *

The bus ride to Rapid City was rather lively in Anna's opinion. It was the rowdiest it had ever been. Now that it was basically jam-packed with boys, they had to be entertained with a game around the clock, the five switching turns in Super Smash Bros, Anna and Elsa watching from the booth.

The roadie was on her laptop, casually scrolling through her Tumblr, eyes occasionally glancing up at her friends whenever some argument occurred. Elsa was next to her, drinking a Pepsi with one hand, her other arm thrown over Anna's shoulders, a curious eye on her girlfriend's laptop.

"Kristoff!" Elsa said loudly as said roadie slid into the booth across from them. "Poor luck, my friend. Perhaps next time you can best Sitron in a game of the Smash."

"I picked Ness… As good as some people are with him, I'm not exactly the best," Kristoff sighed.

Anna made a "sad-trumpet" noise before lapsing into giggles, clicking on a post, liking it. Kristoff sent her a long look before addressing Elsa.

"So, you prepared for the event?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah, that thing… about it, is it formal?" Elsa said, lifting a brow.

"Well, it's a charity ball, of sorts. So, yeah, it's gonna be formal."

"Then that means we have some shopping to do. None of us have formal attire." Elsa nodded at the four boys still playing the game. "And finding suits for those monkeys isn't exactly the easiest."

"That will be taken care of by my granddad, no worries," Kristoff assured her with a smile.

"Ooh, I get to see Elsa in a dress!" Anna cheered. "That'll be new."

Elsa shook her head, looking repulsed with the very idea. "No, I'm getting a suit."

"Wait, what?"

"There is no way in hell I'm going to be on stage in a dress. I _hate_ dresses."

"Els, you wear skirts," Anna reminded her in a deadpan. "Skirts and fishnets sometimes."

"That's a different story. And most of the time I wear boxer shorts, you know that." Elsa put down her Pepsi so she could stretch. "Regardless, I fully intend on wearing a suit."

"Why?"

"I just feel more comfortable. Plus in a suit, I have more confidence to roll my hips without flashing a formal audience with my underpants, whether they'd be boxers or panties that night."

Anna appeared disappointed. "Will I ever see you in a dress?"

"Maybe. A skirt is all you got for now, cutie pie."

"We have a great little tailor shop in Rapid City," Kristoff said excitedly. "Called the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique. The lady there makes the best suits and dresses I've ever seen."

"You're very enthusiastic about that," Elsa teased.

"It's 'cause he got laid wearing one of the suits she made for him for prom!" Sven said loudly, earning a rousing bout of laughter from everyone present, Kristoff flushing.

" _Any_ way," Kristoff said forcefully through the giggling of the girls. "It'll be the best place to get you guys formal attire to match your personalities to a T."

"Sounds great," Elsa said. "I assume songs that are more heartfelt and appropriate would be performed?"

"Yeah, nothing like 'Sex on Fire' or something like that," Kristoff chuckled.

Anna's face suddenly enveloped itself in a sheet of red. She busied herself with the sleeve of her jacket as if it were the most interesting thing in the world as Elsa smiled, pressing her lips together so she wouldn't break out into a full-fledged grin. Kristoff watched them curiously but didn't say anything.

"Uh… so, yeah. Stick to maybe some classic rock and soft alternative," he suggested. "Have you covered Lorde yet?"

"No, not yet," Elsa said, perking up. "But I think I can pull her off okay."

"You probably can," he encouraged. "I look forward to listening to the sets."

"Don't you worry. The boys and I will deliver some great music for all to enjoy."

"I have complete faith you."

* * *

Anna woke up the next morning with the sounds of loud talking from the front room. Her face was buried in the crook of Elsa's neck, the bedroom around them dark and cold, but the sheets hugging their bare bodies were warm. The bus didn't seem to be moving so she deduced that they had arrived in Rapid City bright and early.

"Elsa," Anna muttered, prodding her girlfriend's stomach with a finger. "Wake up."

A grunt followed, the punk not very keen on getting up just yet.

"C'mon, we're here," Anna said impatiently, removing herself from the comfort of pale arms so she could sit up.

"Five more minutes," Elsa replied drowsily, turning over and planting her face into her pillow defiantly.

"No, we're getting fitted today. You have to get up, lazy-ass."

Her response was a light snore, the blonde already dwindling back into dreamland. Anna rolled her eyes and picked up her own pillow, smacking Elsa in the back of the head, promptly waking her up.

" _Fine_ ," Elsa growled, sitting up slowly.

Anna got out of bed and stretched, Elsa's icy eyes wandering over her curves with a shy smile, watching Anna search for their clothes.

"It's not fair," Elsa cooed, climbing out of bed after her.

"What isn't fair? Getting up this early?" Anna flashed her a grin over her shoulder. "I know, I know. The morning is evil."

"No, not that." The punk's bare hand grabbed Anna by the shoulder and turned her around so she could hold her for another moment before they braved the world outside. "You're far too beautiful for the likes of me."

Anna giggled as her face was peppered with kisses. "I don't think that's true. I pale in comparison to you. To your fans."

"Because you're my number one fan. Nobody can compare to _you_."

"You're being awfully cutesy this morning."

"I'm still swimming in the euphoria of having sex with you whenever we please… in the best way. Not that I'm a horn dog, I just like making you feel good."

"You're ridiculous." Anna pecked her lips. "But I getcha. Now help me find my underpants. I dunno where you threw them."

When all articles of clothing were found, Anna sneaked back into her bedroom, gathered fresh ones, and headed into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day. She and Elsa switched shortly, Anna meeting up with the boys outside.

Oaken had parked right in front of a large office building that was covered in polished windows, going up at lest twenty stories tall. Kristoff was talking into a call box by the front door, the band loafing around and waiting patiently for entry inside for the doors were locked to anyone who didn't actually work inside. Elsa came out ten minutes later just as the doors unlocked for them to enter.

"Shall we?" Kristoff said, inclining his head to the open glass door. "Pabbie is waiting for us."

"We're meeting with him already?" Anna asked, surprised.

"Yeah. _Then_ we're getting fitted," Elsa said, draping an arm around her shoulders.

"God, Anna, you're our roadie, you should know this stuff," Sitron teased.

"I don't know everything," Anna retorted, glaring at him.

"C'mon, Anna!" Olaf giggled. "Pick up the pace."

"Yeah, Anna!" Elsa added.

"Ugh, why me?" the roadie groaned as the group filed into the lobby. " _Why_ me?"

"Poor kid," Marshmallow chuckled, patting her on the head.

"I'm harassed left and right," Anna whined. "It's not fair."

"Suck it up," Sitron barked.

"You're an asshole," she snapped, pursing her lips at him. "Elsa, I don't like how Sitron is talking to me. Do something about it."

With a playful smirk, Elsa moved away from Anna— everyone present watching as they waited for the elevator— and shoved Sitron into the wall, turning him around and wrenching his wrist behind him painfully.

"Say 'uncle,'" Elsa growled, still smirking.

"Ah! Fuck!" Sitron cried. "Elsa, what the hell!?"

She twisted his wrist slightly and he yelled out.

"Fucking fine! Uncle!" he shouted.

"Don't piss off Anna… duly noted," Kristoff said.

"I already have experience with that one," Sven muttered.

"It's not fair that the most terrifying girls are dating each other," Sitron whined, rubbing his smarting wrist. "Nobody is safe."

Both of them stuck their tongues out at him as they piled into the large elevator. Kristoff pressed the twenty-fourth floor and the machine shuttered, ascending up to the office of Pabbie Bjorgman.

"Okay, boys," Elsa said, her voice changing into one of queen-like elegance. "Business faces on. We're here for the band, not to goof around like usual. When you see an opening to talk, do so."

"Right," Olaf nodded.

"We're already set on the amp sponsor, though," Sitron said, scrunching his brows.

"We need to be professional for once," Elsa reminded him. "Remember, even though we knew Westerguard Amps would take us we still acted like model citizens."

"They screwed us over," Marshmallow said lowly.

"No. _Hans_ screwed us all over," Elsa said bitterly.

"You broke up with him _and_ fired him," Sitron replied. "You screwed us over."

"I swear to god," Elsa snarled at him.

He immediately raised his hands in surrender, not very keen on having her twist his other wrist or possibly harm him in another part of the body with her shifting boot.

The doors slid open on the designated floor and everyone shuffled out, following Kristoff and Sven over to a reception desk where a woman was typing on a computer with another peering over her shoulder and mumbling something in her ear about what they were seeing.

"Hello, Ma," Kristoff said.

The one standing behind the receptionist looked up at them and her face brightened.

"Kristoff!" she squealed, rounding the desk and throwing her dark skinned arms around her son. "I was wondering when you'd show your face. And Svenniekins!"

Sven colored as his mother enveloped him in an equally strong hug that his brother had received prior.

"Please stop calling me that," he begged weakly.

"You're not Kristoffiekins?" Anna whispered to the burly blonde.

"Ah, no my name is too complicated for a cutesy nickname. I'm usually just Kris," he replied, winking at her.

"Lucky you," Elsa added.

The woman released Sven— who rubbed his neck in pain— and she shook hands with everyone else present.

"Sorry about all that, dears," she gushed. "It's been a while since I've seen my boys. My name is Bulda Bjorgman and my father runs the company."

"It's nice to meet you," Elsa said pleasantly, shaking Bulda's hand last. "I'm Elsa."

"Yes, of course I know who you are," Bulda said, nodding her head wisely. "Our newest client who will be playing at the benefit tomorrow night. It'll be wonderful."

"I fully intend on making it so," Elsa grinned.

"Good, good. Now, Kris, go and find your father. He's most likely in the break room. I'm going to alert the head honcho that you've arrived."

Bulda shooed her blonde son towards the break room and he jogged over quickly, Sven following after his mother who was speaking a mile a minute with excitement. She left the remaining five standing in front of the reception desk to wait for them to be invited into the office of Pabbie.

"So… what exactly are you guys gonna do?" Anna asked.

"Well, we're gonna go in there, have our meeting, sign the official contract… and… yeah," Olaf said, scratching the back of his head. "He'll probably fax it over to Kai for him to sign or somethin'."

"You don't have to come inside," Elsa told her. "It'll be boring business stuff."

"Are you sure?" Anna said.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, kid," Sitron said. "We'll be in and out."

"Then we'll go and get ourselves fitted," Marshmallow added.

"I'll even take you out for lunch later," Elsa said quietly into Anna's ear. "If you'd like."

Anna smiled and turned her head to give her a quick kiss. "I'd love to."

* * *

The meeting with Pabbie went swimmingly, in Elsa's opinion. He even insisted on meeting the whole crew and so Anna, Kristoff, Sven, and Oaken— who had to come up from the bus— went inside to see him. Pabbie was an older man with dark skin just like his daughter. He, of course, knew Kristoff and Sven already so he greeted Oaken and Anna with kindness by giving them warm handshakes with a tender smile on his face.

He told them all he was happy to have such a competent team on board, giving them all his best wishes and thanks for keeping Dry Ice afloat.

With promises to contact Kai and deliver the news of the meeting, he sent them on their way to get fitted courtesy of the company. All would be paid for.

Elsa was relatively relaxed on the complimentary limo drive to the shop, kicking up her feet with her fingers intertwined with Anna's as they watched the boys goof off with the perks of the luxury car.

"You seem happy," Anna mentioned.

"Well, our next official concert isn't until we reach Minneapolis and then we cut through Wisconsin and head into good ol' Chicago for the next sets." Elsa smiled lazily. "I can relax for a change without worrying about rehearsal and such. It'll be nice."

"Have to thought about… maybe seeing your mom when we go into Wisconsin?" Anna asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I've thought about it. But I dunno if I will."

"I think you should. I'd be right by your side the entire time."

Elsa met her gaze. "I know you will."

When the limo came to a gentle stop, they waited until the driver opened the door for them. The group exited onto the sidewalk to be greeted with the smallest dress shop they had ever seen.

"Quaint," Anna said. "I like it!"

"This is the place?" Olaf said to Kristoff.

"Yup. The owner is like your own personal fairy godmother, making you feel your handsomest or most beautiful," Kristoff answered with a firm nod.

"You apparently get laid on prom night, too," Elsa laughed, exchanging a high-five with Sven.

Kristoff rolled his eyes as he pulled open the doors.

The smell of fabric and clean carpet greeted them. Several racks were lined with custom made dresses and suits. Dressing rooms were shoved near the back and large six-paneled mirror was set up in a corner with a little platform in the center, benches settled around the area for others to wait. Along there walls were painted silhouettes of mice running around with spools of string and pieces of fabric, giving the place a fairy tale vibe.

An elderly woman poked her head out of an office and smiled at the sight of new customers.

"Hello, dearies," she cooed, rushing over to them. "Oh, and Kristoff! Welcome back, welcome back!"

"Hello, Breena," Kristoff said, waving politely. "My grandfather is hosting a benefit tomorrow evening and our guests are in need of some formal wear."

"I see! Well, there isn't a gown or suit I can't conjure in time," Breena said, putting on a pair of half-moon spectacles and going over to the waiting band. "Let's see… four suits and two dresses?"

"Actually five suits," Elsa piped up. "I'd rather match my band."

"Oh, that can work just fine," Breena said, humming and taking Elsa's hand to examine the length of her arm. "Let's see… who shall I start with?"

"Start with Anna," Olaf offered, poking a finger at the redhead. "She's the only one who's gonna wear a dress."

"I thought that was you," Sitron grinned slyly.

"Hey, I would _rock_ in a dress," Olaf defended. "You're just jealous 'cause you don't have the body for one."

Sitron scoffed as the others laughed.

"Alright, come with me, dear," Breena said, taking Anna by the hand. "Let's get you measured."

Anna was whisked away to get herself fitted, a gleeful smile on her face.

Time ticked by as the rest of the group waited, browsing through the items on display, Elsa playing Olaf and Marshmallow in a few rounds of arm wrestling. Just as Kristoff challenged her to a game, Breena stepped out of a fitting room with pride in her eyes.

"I think this is some of my best work on a dress so simple. I used a base line, made a few snips here and there. Oh, she looks lovely," she said. "Miss Anna, if you would?"

Anna timidly, shyly, inched out of the room. Her dress was simple, yes, but incredibly her style. It was a deep olive green color with a queen Anne neckline. The fabric fell just above her knees, flourishing out with gentle folds. Breena requested Anna give a turn and she did so, showing off the dip in the back showing off the freckles usually hidden away to the world except— more recently— to Elsa.

Speaking of which, the blonde was stunned with an affectionate smile on her face. Anna really _did_ look lovely. And her hair was down like it usually was but it blended perfectly with the color of her dress, the curls bouncing on her shoulders.

"Wow," Olaf gasped.

"Anna, you look hot," Sitron nodded in approval.

She glared at him but he was actually appearing sincere.

"I'm serious," he said, raising his brows.

"It's a great dress for her," Kristoff approved. "Was this originally designed by you, Breena?"

"Yes, but she has such a perfect body I thought it was a shame to hide it away in some empire dress, floor length." Breena shooed away the thought as if it offended her to see Anna in such a dress.

"I like it," Anna said. "I like it a lot."

"I think you look gorgeous," Elsa said, finally gathering some words to put into a sentence.

Anna blushed deep red from the sincerity of Elsa's voice.

"You do?" she asked quietly.

"I do."

"Me next!" Olaf shouted, breaking the moment… again.

Breena laughed. "Alright, let's see what we can find you with some mixing and matching!"

After browsing through the available resources, they picked out a well put together outfit for him, Olaf rushing into the dressing room to change. He came out looking very spiffy in a white, long sleeved collared shirt and dark brown tie matched with dark brown pants and a dark orange, button up vest. He had rolled up the sleeves and tucked the tie inside the vest.

Olaf spread his wings and gave a turn like Anna did but his smile was cheeky, not shy.

"You look like a formal snowman," Sven laughed.

"It suits him, then," Anna applauded.

Sitron was up next, the bassist being fitted into a generic tan sports blazer, white collared shirt, and black dress pants. He claimed he was easier to please and he also liked how the blazer had a horseshoe on the left pocket to stand for the original creator of the jacket.

Marshmallow was suited in a white tuxedo with black trimming and a black bow tie. He and his brother exchanged fist bumps when Kristoff referred them as the abominable snow brothers.

Finally it was Elsa's turn to get fitted— Kristoff and Sven already having outfits for the event. Anna was rather excited to see Elsa in a suit. It was going to be a newer outfit, definitely. The gloves were all on the guys, to Anna's relief, so that meant Elsa wouldn't have to go barehanded in her outfit.

Breena came out after thirty minutes, removing a few pins from between her lips.

"I've only had one other girl come in asking for a suit so I had to do some serious tweaking to this last one. But I can say for certain there is not finer suit for Miss Elsa," she said.

"Come out, Els!" Sitron encouraged.

"Yeah, let's see!" Olaf added.

Elsa strode out with her hands in her dress pants pockets. She was wearing a classic, black and white three-piece suit with a dark blue tie. But like Olaf, the sleeves were rolled up and tucked neatly just above her elbows. The vest and shirt hugged her curves flawlessly, the jacket causally pushed back by her forearms to show them off.

"Whoa," Kristoff said, brows raised high.

"Suits on chicks are probably the most attractive thing ever," gaped Sven.

"Thanks," Elsa said with slight uncertainty. "But I'm not into the whole—" She took a hand out and wagged a finger up and down at Sven. "—guy thing."

"No, I know that," he said with a grin.

"You rock that suit, Elsa!" Olaf cheered.

"It really _suits_ you," Sitron said, looking around at the group for a laugh. When nobody did, he pouted and shoved his hands into his pockets moodily. "That was funny, you guys have zero taste in comedy."

Elsa rolled her eyes before looking to Anna for her approval. But she pulled a double take at the expression the girl wore. Her face was deadpan but her eyes were wide, unblinking.

"Anna?" Elsa said slowly. "You okay?" The redhead didn't respond, still staring at Elsa with wonderment and flushed cheeks. "Yo!" She snapped her fingers under her freckled nose, promptly breaking Anna out of her stupor.

"What?" Anna stammered, blinking up at Elsa.

"You like the suit, I'm guessing?" Elsa grinned down at her.

Anna swallowed, her face continuing to strengthen in color. "Uh… yeah." She jumped to her feet. "Excuse me!"

Everyone watched in confusion— Elsa in slight smugness— as Anna made a beeline to the restroom. Once inside in the cool interior, Anna let out a shuddering sigh, breathing shallowly.

There was no doubt about it: Elsa looked incredibly sexy in a suit without even trying. And it was an extreme turn on for Anna.

She wobbled over to the sink and splashed some water in her face, trying to calm her raging hormones.

"Chill out," she told herself. "Now that you're sexually active again, it's a no wonder that you're a bit needy. And seeing your girlfriend in something so… so _wow_ is something natural to be aroused by right?" She looked into her own eyes staring back at her through the mirror, realizing how flushed her face was. "R-right…"

Someone knocked on the door, startling her.

"You okay, kid?" came Elsa's voice.

"Yes!" Anna squeaked. "Uhm, just fine."

"Well, when you're done take off the dress."

"W-what!?"

"Yeah, she's gonna wrap it up so we can take them."

"Oh… right."

The sound of Elsa's dress shoes left and she sighed in relief, trying to calm herself as the heat in her stomach started to settle. Hopefully once she got out, Elsa wouldn't be wearing the suit anymore and she would be able to hold off on looking at her in it until the event.

* * *

**I'm saving the event for next time because I'm close to twenty pages on this one. Kinda my apology for being late yet again. And to be honest, I have _no_ idea where Elsa singing to Anna as foreplay came from but… I did it anyway.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	21. Addicted

**I also might have the gang fuck around a few towns before they reach Wisconsin for some fun times. There will be a fun chapter, then a concert with some extra special fluff, and then… some drama.**

**So hang on! The fun is just beginning.**

* * *

Anna was touching up the last of her make-up in the tiny bathroom of the bus. She was dressed up for the charity benefit, dolling herself up in a way she hadn't done in a while. It was as if she were going to prom again, although she didn't have to pay for tickets and actually had a date this time.

Speaking of her date, Elsa was going to be wearing that suit to the event. That damn suit that sent Anna's hormones flaring. Elsa just looked absolutely perfect in it… absolutely downright sexy, actually. Anna had been stunned into complete silence when Elsa stepped out of the dressing room. She had wanted to say something, wanted to tell her how incredible she appeared, wanted to rip those clothes to shred and take her right there.

"Fuck," she growled, shaking her head. "Knock it off."

"Anna, are you done yet?" Elsa called from the front room.

 _She's out there in that tux… awh dammit all to hell_.

"Uhm, yes! I'm coming!"

Anna shoved her lipstick into her little wrist bag to reapply it later before scuttling out of the restroom to meet the band. She kept herself focused on Elsa's face since she didn't dare trust herself to look anywhere below her neckline.

"Okay!" Kristoff said cheerfully. "We have everybody. Let's get going!"

Again, the limousine came around to pick them up, giving them another luxury drive to the large benefit hall. It was at a very high-end country club complete with catering tables and a valet. It was the last place Anna expected Dry Ice to perform. She imagined them in their early days playing in sketchy dive bars or at some battle of the bands. But they were dropping their entire punk persona to dress up in fancy clothes and play some soft rock in order to raise money for charity.

And it was wonderful.

The last thing Anna expected, sure, but she was pleasantly surprised to know they would happily volunteer to play without getting a dime. She wondered if other bands might play throughout the night, giving Dry Ice time to relax and mingle with people.

Then it hit her, the folks inside weren't the type of people they usually talked to. The band hung around in bars and danced to ear-splitting music. Elsa used to make-out with random fans in the corner. Marshmallow didn't speak most of the time and was an instant wallflower. Sitron was a loudmouth. Olaf could possibly pull it off but his stories weren't very… appropriate for this crowd.

For once, Dry Ice was the odd one out in a party. No fans swarming them, no beers to chug, no body shots. Nothing.

It was a formal event.

"Elsa," she found herself saying as the limo neared the entrance, "what do you intend on doing during your breaks?"

"What do you mean?" Elsa replied, adjusting her shirt collar.

"Well, you guys aren't formal. No offense," she added quickly.

The punk merely laughed. "We can handle ourselves in a prim and proper environment. After all, my mom _did_ raise me to be polite in situations such as this."

"Yeah, her mom was kind of a hardass," Sitron agreed.

"Don't be rude," Sven said, shooting a reproachful at the bassist.

"No, he's right," Olaf piped up, the limo coming to a stop. "Elsa's mom wasn't the most lenient woman in town."

"Really?" Kristoff voiced.

"Yeah, she really wasn't," Marshmallow said gravely.

"She had good qualities, sometimes," Olaf tacked on. "Like knitting and cooking and yelling… if you consider that a good quality."

"She taught be to be polite. As did my grandmother," Elsa said with a smile. "So, I think I can manage."

"What about those goofs?" Anna said, jabbing a finger at the other three band members.

"Hey!" Olaf shouted. "We can be proper!"

"Start by lowering your voice," Elsa suggested.

The door of the vehicle opened and the driver let them out one-by-one, leaving them at the carpeted walkway into the country club. Pabbie, Bulda, and Cliff were near the front to greet them, shaking hands and polite hugs before escorting the team into the building.

"It's good to have you here," Pabbie said. "I can't wait to see what you have in store."

"What time do we go on?" Elsa said, walking arm in arm with Anna as she spoke to their sponsor.

"After a few other groups we also have as our clients," Pabbie said. "You'll be on at nine-thirty."

"So you all can enjoy the party. It's an all you can eat buffet," Bulda told them. "Get your fill while you can!"

"And after the main charity event, there will be some awards given out but that's only for the members," Cliff added. "Otherwise, you're free to leave as soon as your set is finished."

"Sounds great!" Elsa chimed.

"That means we'll have a few days until our concert in Minneapolis," Olaf said.

"That's actually a good thing," Marshmallow said. "We can have a bit of a break."

"See the sights," Sitron imputed with a grin. "Take a load off!"

"I hope you'll practice within that time frame," Pabbie chuckled.

"We practice all the time!" Olaf protested, the group reaching the main hall. "Relax, Mr. Pabbie, we're gonna be your best clients, ever."

"You certainly have the determination," Pabbie observed.

The doors of the hall opened and revealed a large room with a stage set up near the back. There were tables arranged all over the place, a dance floor set in front of the stage, and the scent of foods of all kinds wafting towards them.

"Ooh! There's a ton of chocolate over there!" Anna gasped excitedly, tightening her grip on Elsa's arm.

"Slow your roll, kiddo, we should eat dinner first," Elsa reasoned.

Anna pouted. "Awh, but what if it's all gone by the time we're finished!"

"Relax, there will be plenty of chocolate to be had," Elsa said. "I'm sure that they replenish the food as the party goes on."

They didn't realize that the others had dispersed to various places in the room. Elsa was perfectly content with just hanging out with her. But she realized that Anna hadn't looked at her since they left the bus. She was keeping her gaze straight forward but her arm was still interlocked with Elsa's.

"Hey, what's with you?" Elsa asked her curiously.

"What do you mean?" Anna responded, still not looking at her.

"You're acting strange."

"I am not."

"Anna—" Elsa grabbed her cheeks between her fingers and turned her head to face her. "—just look at me."

Her teal eyes focused only on her icy blue ones, almost quivering in place. It was the strangest sight Elsa had witnessed… almost as if Anna was trying not to… look down.

 _The suit_ , Elsa made the connection and forced herself not to grin wickedly. _It was her reaction to the suit from earlier… of course. She's getting all antsy because of it._

"Can we please just get something to eat?" Anna begged her.

"Yes, of course," Elsa said, letting go of Anna's face but kissing her forehead gently. "Sorry I grabbed you. Did I hurt you?"

"No." Anna breathed. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Elsa, relax!" Anna grinned and kissed her quickly. "I'm alright. Sorry I wasn't looking at you directly… just… that stupid suit!"

"Stupid?" Elsa repeated, guiding Anna to a buffet table. "I think you'd beg to differ. You think it's sexy."

"Shut up!" Anna complained.

"You just know I'm right."

* * *

A couple bands played before Dry Ice was supposed to go on, just as Pabbie told them. Meanwhile the band was sitting at one of the tables, indulging themselves in the free food. Anna was physically shocked at the amount Marshmallow managed to eat, his plate piled high with almost every single food item he got his paws on. Olaf, Sven, and Kristoff seemed to understand the term "moderation", their plates being nice and even in serving size. Sitron was almost as bad as Marshmallow but his meal consisted of more junk and less healthy items.

Anna never realized how Elsa actually cared about what was on her plate. She had a balanced dinner complete with greens, unlike most of the boys. In fact, she got almost everything Anna did.

The roadie never considered observing how her friends ate. It was rather interesting to see how each _plate_ related to their personalities. She wondered if dessert would be any different.

A set before theirs, Elsa stood up from her seat as a slower song was playing having caught a glimpse of the several people dancing. She cleared her throat to capture Anna's attention. A gloved hand extended towards her and Anna blinked before darting her eyes quickly up to meet Elsa's.

"Dance with me?" Elsa said kindly.

Anna flushed. "What?"

"Oh, c'mon, kid," the punk grinned. "It'll be nice. I'm not much of a dancer— unless it's on stage— but I'd like to dance with you."

With slight hesitance, Anna slid her bare hand into the leather grip. She hardly ever danced with a partner. She was afraid she would trod all over Elsa's feet as they swayed together, humiliating herself in front of her girlfriend with her lack of rhythm.

Hans had once made fun of her dancing… she hardly danced since. Even with Merida. The last time she danced, really, was with Elsa in New Orleans but that had been goofy swaying. It wasn't a formal dance like the one she anticipated they were going to do now.

Elsa gracefully led her to the dance floor and positioned the two of them so Anna's hand was clasped in hers, one on Elsa's waist and Elsa's other on her shoulder.

"Can you even dance?" Anna said nervously.

"I've been known to be able to," Elsa said modestly, starting to dance with her, their feet moving slightly across the polished floor. "I mean, I can't waltz or anything but I can dance. You've danced me before, remember?"

"I meant formally."

"We aren't doing much. Just a simple square step. Did you want to go into something more complicated?"

"No! No, this is fine… juuuuust fine."

She had taken notice of the suit again as they continued to take the dance floor with a gentle storm. How it hugged her curves and moved with her body with each shift she made, guiding Anna along with the tempo. Her cheeks flushed and she raised her eyes back up to Elsa's… only to find them closed.

The punk was humming to the song, obviously knowledgeable about its lyrics. She pulled Anna closer and breathed in her ear, singing along to the song gently so only Anna could hear her.

The touch and pull was so intimate. Anna was incredibly winded over the fact that someone with such a rough persona could be so soft and caring. She felt protected, safe under Elsa's watchful eye.

"You know," Elsa said, still not pulling away, "I will admit, I'm a little nervous."

"About what?" replied Anna, her eyes fluttering shut as her lover's breath ghosted over her sensitive ear.

"I usually play all the loud punk stuff… we rehearsed our set and everything but… what if I don't do well?"

"You're gonna be great. You've played soft Paramore and such. Lorde is a nice cover for this crowd. Maybe in your new album you can work on softer stuff, too."

"Like, an acoustic version of 'Let It Go'?"

"Okay, babe, you're gonna have to take a step back from that song and write some new ones."

Elsa giggled, finally pulling back so she could meet Anna's eyes.

"You're probably right," she decided.

"I _am_ right," Anna said. "Elsa, you can't just keep singing that one song—"

"I know, I know… I'm trying."

"I know you are. And maybe you need some motivation—?"

"You promised to never do that again, Anna, don't you dare even tease about it."

Anna laughed, feeling the knot in her stomach from Elsa's suit loosen. She felt more at ease now that she and Elsa were playfully bickering while having a serious conversation at the same time. The suit didn't bother her as much because of that.

"Oh calm down," Anna grinned, smacking Elsa in the shoulder lightly. "It would suck for the both of us anyway. _And_ it would be ten times worse because that would mean no sex."

"We've had enough of that," Elsa agreed bitterly, pausing to twirl Anna beneath her arm before bringing her back closer than before. The song was coming to an end and Elsa placed a kiss on Anna's nose. "Now, if you'll excuse me, kid, I have a house to rock."

"Break a leg, punk," Anna cooed, letting Elsa leave her on the dance floor, watching her meet up with the guys near the stage.

She smiled softly and returned to the table with Kristoff and Sven. Since this was a private event, there were special personnel for this show specifically so Anna was able to watch Dry Ice from the same view she had the first time she saw them, as a spectator and not as a roadie. It was a nice way to appreciate her girlfriend fully without being side stage or on the catwalks or even running errands during a concert.

"You look a little red," Kristoff commented, clapping for the band before Dry Ice as they said their goodbyes.

"I'm just… we were… dancing," Anna mumbled, reaching for a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. She took a cool swallow and crossed her legs. "I might need to take a breath of fresh air after the show."

"Why not now?" Sven wondered, still eating some of his dinner.

"Because I don't wanna miss them," Anna explained, nodding at Elsa as she straightened her suit jacket.

The knot started to wind up again.

 _Fuck_ , Anna complained to herself, busying her hands with the glass. _Just relax. You can take care of it after the show…_

She tried her very best to only focus on Elsa's face and not her swaying hips as she sauntered on stage followed by the three boys. Kristoff was taking a few pictures with his phone, excited to post them on his Instagram later on. A pair of lips hovered over the microphone on the stage, fingers tuning a bass and a guitar, and a large posterior took over the drum stool, patiently waiting for the leader to begin their set.

"Hello, everyone," Elsa said somewhat shakily into the mic. She was unsure of how to greet this sort of crowd. Usually she screamed, " _Hello, -insert city name here—!_ " Or simply jump into the song without an intro.

Her eyes flickered over to Anna's and the girl sent her a reassuring smile, mouthing "breathe" to her. Elsa smiled back and her tense shoulders loosened a bit.

"I'm Elsa and this is my band Dry Ice," she introduced, spreading her arms to either side. "We're gonna bring the house down, if you don't mind."

A few people laughed and the atmosphere seemed to get more comfortable and casual. Jackets were shed and put on the backs of chairs, the older crowd watching from afar, letting the younger attendants get into the groove of this popular band.

"Olaf, if you please," Elsa said, nodding at the guitarist.

He started to strum out the beginning of "Underneath It All" by No Doubt, one of Elsa's personal favorites, Marshmallow and Sitron jumping in quickly. Elsa followed after a few beats, kicking their set into gear.

Anna wondered if Elsa had control of her hips. Seriously, she was rolling them so sensually no matter what sort of company she was in. And to the beat of _that_ song? Anna was a goner. She was staring. Who could blame her? Elsa had shown Anna just what she could do with those things and it was causing Anna's libido to skyrocket.

By the third song, Anna was certain she was drooling out of the corner of her mouth. Elsa had covered Lorde flawlessly, doing two of her most famous numbers and making the room dance lazily. She picked up the tempo in a Taylor Swift song, one that Anna wasn't aware Elsa knew of. She was really giving the crowd a different taste of what she did for a living, almost being opposite of what she was on stage in front of die-hard fans.

But those hips were still rolling.

Anna desperately wanted to yank Elsa off the stage and make out with her just to ease herself but that would appear very odd to others around them. _Very_ odd.

So Anna waited it out, nodding her head to Elsa's final number, Let It Go of course. Since it was their number one hit, she was obligated to sing it. At the very end, Elsa let loose another roll and Anna lost it. She stood to her feet and marched over to the bathroom, face flushed.

As the audience applauded Dry Ice's performance, Elsa's eyes had followed Anna's path away from the main event. Curious as to what had Anna in such a rush, Elsa left the stage, her bandmates clearing up for the next band.

Elsa entered the ladies' restroom and found herself slightly blown away by the sight. The room had been drowned in pink, the floors were pristine, and the air smelled heavily of expensive perfume. The wooden stalls were a light pink and Elsa wondered if there was a little table with magazines in each of them for some reading material. Her eyes landed on Anna, who was leaning over the sink and trying to get herself together.

"Kid?" Elsa said, raising her brows, startling her girlfriend. "Babe, you alright?"

"Yeah," Anna breathed, staring at Elsa out of the corner of her eye. "Fine… I'm just…"

"You're sure?" the punk spoke slowly, stepping closer to Anna. "Do you need some air? Seriously, you look really red."

Anna turned all the way around to face Elsa, teal eyes swooping over her suit-clad body. Elsa watched, astonished, as her irises darkened and Anna made a move, grabbing Elsa by the collar of her shirt and shoving her into the handicap restroom, the door locking behind them on impact.

"Anna, what the actual fuck?" Elsa demanded, her voice laced with humor, her back hitting the cold wall Anna pushed her against.

Copper brows furrowed and Elsa blinked stupidly down at the tiny figure. The next thing she knew, a pair of soft lips were shoved up against her own and Elsa's mind flew out the window. A small groan fell from Anna's mouth, her hands sliding beneath Elsa's jacket and letting it drop behind her. Elsa reached around and pulled Anna closer, hands grabbing her waist.

* * *

The boys returned to their table only to find Kristoff and Sven sitting there, talking over a few expensive beers.

"Where are Elsa and Anna?" Olaf asked, sitting in between Marshmallow and Kristoff.

"Beats me," Sven replied. "Anna went flying to the bathroom. Guess she really had to pee."

"Elsa was probably curious and followed her," Sitron guessed. "So they'll be back in about five minutes or so. Girls like to talk in the restroom, y'know?"

"Is that actually true?" Sven said, cocking his head to the side.

"Oh, yeah big time. They have conferences and…"

As Sitron engaged Sven in a serious discussion on how girls conspire together in restrooms, Kristoff gazed over at the path to the bathroom with suspicion. He knew that girls sometimes took their time in the bathroom for various reasons but something didn't sit right with him. Anna didn't look as though she was about to piss herself…

"Hey, Marshmallow," he said, capturing the drummer's attention.

"What's up?"

"You don't think… that they're doing something else in there?" Kristoff wondered slowly, his brows inching together.

Marshmallow almost snorted into his hand. "I couldn't tell you. Let's at least hope they're being civilized. I don't think Anna would stoop as low as to have sex in public."

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"That's Elsa jurisdiction," joked Olaf, sliding into the conversation. "Anyway, what did you guys think of the show?"

"You were great," Kristoff applauded, giving a thumbs up. "You covered the best songs for this crowd. I think everyone had a great time." He took a swig of his beer. "Grand Pabbie looked pleased. You're gonna be great clients, I can tell already."

"We aim to please!" Olaf chirped.

"Psst, guys," Sitron hissed, leaning over Sven to address the other three. "I've got some… _brownies_ in the freezer. You want in?"

"No thanks," Olaf groaned, making a face. "Last time I tried one of those I passed out. You lace them too much."

"Also, edibles are far worse—" Kristoff began but Sitron waved his statement away.

"Yeah, yeah, I know but I don't give a fuck. Sven, how about you?"

"Sure, I'm down for that," Sven agreed. "Been a while since I've had some." He and Sitron got to their feet. "See you guys later."

"Be safe, please!" Olaf called after them.

"I didn't know Sven did that stuff," Marshmallow said to Kristoff conversationally.

"Oh, yeah, every now and then. Not often though." Kristoff adjusted his tie to give his neck some room to breathe. "I've only done it… twice. It's not exactly my preferred thing but I'll do it if I feel like it."

"I think it's yucky," Olaf complained.

Kristoff laughed. "Very mature reason not to like it."

Olaf grinned toothily. "If you haven't noticed, I'm a _very_ mature person!"

"Are they done in there yet?" Marshmallow grunted, shaking his head in the direction of the restroom.

* * *

Chests were heaving and Anna's face was buried in the crook of Elsa's neck. A pair of lacy underwear were around the ginger's ankles and Elsa's shirt and vest were buttoned, the fly of her dress pants open.

Elsa opened her eyes slowly, thankful for the wall supporting her from collapsing from the orgasm that had been caused by the roadie. One of her gloves was discarded to the side, the hand used to give Anna her own release tracing her thigh beneath her dress.

"Did we just have sex in a public restroom?" Elsa said.

Anna snorted and started to laugh into Elsa's skin. "Oh my god," she giggled, "we did, didn't we?"

"What happened to you?" Elsa grinned, retracting her hand and reaching over for some toilet paper. "I never thought you'd do something like this."

"You and I started dating, that's what," Anna said, wiggling her hand out of Elsa's pants. "That was exciting, though. Like, _wow_." She plucked some paper from Elsa's hand and cleaned off her digits. "I can hardly remember what just happened… damn, that was awesome."

Elsa zipped up her pants and buttoned up her shirt, vest, and readjusted her tie. Anna bent down and pulled up her panties, both of them still giggling over what had just occurred. While down there, Anna grabbed Elsa's jacket and handed it over.

"Thanks…" Elsa tugged it on and glanced wearily at the locked door. "D'you think anyone came inside and heard anything? I was too… I wasn't paying attention."

"I doubt it," Anna said. "And if they did, who cares?"

"I _love_ this side of you, babe," Elsa purred, bringing Anna in for a kiss. "Even though I like the cutesy, romantic sex, I wouldn't mind banging in another bathroom with you again."

Anna barked out another laugh. "Good to know."

They exited the stall together and Elsa went to the mirror to fix her hair, Anna beside her doing the same. While Elsa re-braided her long, platinum locks, Anna sat in the cushion arm chair by the entrance, looking Elsa over. After she got the sex out of her system, the image of Elsa in a suit didn't give her that same, flustered drive anymore.

"I'm over it!" Anna said happily.

"Over what?" Elsa asked, raising a brow and taking out a lipstick tube from her jacket.

Anna rubbed off some lipstick that was stuck to her neck. "Your suit… well, it's still super sexy but I can look at it without dying of arousal."

Elsa laughed again. "Good to know. I guess you just needed to have some suit sex to ease your desire."

"Mhmm," Anna agreed, running a hand through her hair. "Are we presentable now?"

"I think so. How's my hair?"

"Els, you have the hair of a goddess, don't even worry about it."

"Fair enough."

Elsa shoved the glove back on her hand, took Anna's hand in her own, and escorted her out of the bathroom, the two pressing their heads close together and giggling again, still in disbelief they had a romantic rendezvous in the bathroom.

"Where did you guys even go?" Olaf said as the girls reached the table.

"Just to the bathroom," Elsa shrugged, brushing some hair out of Anna's eyes. "Talked and such. Girl time."

"The usual girl time," Anna added with a breathy chuckle, leaning in to share a kiss with Elsa.

"You guys are fucking weird," Olaf declared, taking a bite out of the cream puff he got from the buffet table a few minutes previous.

"Yeah but you love us anyway," Anna teased, reaching over and ruffling his hair.

Elsa moved closer to Anna and pressed mindless kisses onto her temple, Anna leaning in automatically, the two sitting together to watch the rest of the evening's sets.

* * *

**Finally finished for you all. Remember, the next few chapters are gonna be fun "fuck around" chapters based on things that me and my fellow Role-players came up with.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	22. Young, Wild, & Free

**I love you all so much. I can't tell you… I'm so thankful for the amount of support you've given me over this crazy fan fic.**

**You all deserve this chapter. Every. Single. One. Of. You.**

**Okay… okay, enjoy.**

* * *

Anna was sandwiched between Marshmallow and Olaf in the booth of a diner. Seething, moody, and frustrated, she sat there without a place to go or means of escape.

Not fifteen minutes ago, she and Elsa had been making out in Anna's room and rather enjoying it, Anna having taken a break from studying and Elsa being the entire reason she took a break. Just as hands started to wander and light giggles were vibrating sweetly against pairs of lips, Anna's day took a turn for the "what the fuck?" For suddenly all three boys burst inside, grabbed only Anna— Marshmallow slinging the roadie over his shoulder like a sack of flour— and took off. Elsa was left behind for god knows why.

But now Anna was stuck in a diner in some tiny little town not too far away from Rapid City.

It had been a day and a half since the benefit, Kristoff and Sven happily joining the band on the rest of their tour. They, however, weren't joining the four for lunch. They had gone off to some electronics store or something hours ago. Kristoff claimed he was looking for some fresh, new equipment and Sven loved anything techie-related so of course he tagged along.

After she was kidnapped, she was dragged around town with the guys as they jabbered on about where they wanted to go for lunch, completely ignoring Anna's screeches of protest. They decided on the diner, Marshmallow finally putting the squirming roadie down because they were getting strange looks.

"Don't worry!" Olaf had told the crowd. "She's our friend but we just like giving her a hard time." He said this all while Anna was trying to beat him in the chest with her fists, though half-heartedly because she really didn't want to hurt him.

They had been seated quickly in a booth in the back of the restaurant, where Anna was currently squished between the abominable snow brothers.

Elsa had yet to figure where the guys had taken her girlfriend and was most likely seething after being interrupted, stomping about town in search for them. Anna knew that once Elsa got her hands on the morons, they'd be dead meat.

With nothing else to do, Anna decided it was best to just eat and hope Elsa would come rescue her from their ridiculous grasp.

"You doing alright there, kid?" Sitron asked from across her.

"Fuck off," Anna grunted, reaching over and picking up a chicken strip.

"Wow, rude," Sitron pouted.

"You abducted me from my bedroom, you absolute pig!" Anna snapped, kicking him in the shins. But she wasn't wearing any shoes so it didn't make much of an impact. "At least when you kidnapped me you could have grabbed me a jacket and my Docs or something."

"We were being spontaneous," Olaf said with a toothy grin.

"You tore me away from my girlfriend," Anna mumbled. "And we were having a great make out session thank you very much."

"You need to take a break from her," Sitron said through a mouthful of burger.

"Is that why I'm stuffed between the wonder brothers?" Anna grunted. "So I can't escape."

"Now you've got it!" Sitron chirped.

"I hate you all so much."

After they finished lunch, they didn't let Anna escape so easily. The boys escorted her to a video arcade a few blocks down from the park they had been goofing around on late last night until a police officer showed up to check out the noise, making them all break for it since they all were well over the age limit to be on the jungle gym.

Anna was leaning against one of the games as she watched Olaf shoot zombies in the head. Marshmallow was playing a racing game and Sitron was slurping down a soda as he handled one of those stack-the-blocks-and-win-a-prize games.

"Yo, Anna!" the bassist called as he lost his twelfth round. "Hold my jacket for me, I'm gonna go use the restroom and get some more tokens."

"I'm not your coatrack," Anna spat, marching over anyway.

"Chill out, kid, I'll be five seconds." He shoved the leather coat into her arms, winked, and headed off, the soda he had gulped down getting to him.

Anna sighed and folded his jacket in her arms for a better grip. But she felt something odd in the inside pocket. Curious, she reached inside and pulled out two plastic wrapped brownies.

 _Chocolate!_ Anna thought excitedly, taking them out. _This'll show Sitron not to drag me out against my will. I'll eat his delicious brownies._

With nimble fingers, Anna unwrapped the first brownie and bit into it, humming pleasantly at the scrumptious taste of the chocolatey goodness, eating it in three bites. She then unwrapped the second one and finished it just as fast as the first. With a devious smirk, Anna tossed the plastic wrap in a nearby garbage can and handed Sitron his jacket without blinking once he returned to the arcade game.

He didn't notice that his treats had been eaten, putting on the jacket and starting up the game again. Anna watched him, her eyes dropping down to his hand as he smacked the button furiously. Ten minutes went by and he lost again, his foot making contact with the machine.

"What are you trying to win?" Anna asked him.

"That 3DS," he grumbled, inserting another round of tokens.

The prize in question was hanging in a box with a few others. Below that were smaller prizes such as keychains and bouncy balls. Useless crap kids cried over if they didn't win it for their own. There were also MP3 players and a street-racing game for the PlayStation 2.

"Don't you have one?" Anna said.

"No, Elsa does. I don't wanna pay for the thing."

"That's so stupid. You're a famous bassist, one would think you can afford it."

"It's the principle of the thing."

Anna rolled her eyes and decided to play a few games on her own, swiping some extra tokens from Marshmallow.

As she played a classic Pac-Man game for another ten minutes, using up the tokens she had been given, her focus started to drift off from the screen. She scrunched her brows and _tried_ to concentrate but her mind wasn't keeping up with her reflexes.

 _What… the hell?_ Anna wondered slowly, backing away from the game machine after losing her last life.

She blinked and rubbed her eyes, shaking her head but that only made the room spin.

"Huh… maybe I'm just tired," she mused.

Anna stared at her hands, moving them up and down. The edges were fuzzy and she felt sort of numb around the fingers. She flexed them but nothing seemed too out of place or odd.

Although, things around her looked really great and she felt really… free.

For some reason, Anna was starting to feel gushy in the brain and everything looked simply breathtaking. The twinkling lights of the games and the clanging sounds of the ones in progress resonated with Anna and she felt herself smile stupidly.

She drifted back to the game Olaf was playing when her phone rang, making her remember that it had been in her pocket when the boys snatched her away. The little circle at the top showed it was Elsa calling, their selfie shining on the screen making her heart skip a beat.

"Hi, Els!" Anna sang as she picked up.

"Anna, where the hell are you so I can kick their sorry fucking asses into kingdom come? Dammit all to hell, they're so dead when I get my hands on them," Elsa snarled into the receiver.

"It's okay, baby! I got my revenge already." She moved away from Olaf who thankfully was too engrossed in his game to eavesdrop on her conversation. "Trust me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I ate Sitron's brownies he was hiding in his jacket pocket!" Anna said enthusiastically. "They were _soooooooo_ good, Elsa. Best. Brownies. Ever! I could eat, like, five hundred more but he only had two. We gotta get more brownies. I think Mose would want some of those brownies, too. Ooh, let's get some and then go to the zoo to get Mose a buddy! Let's go to the zoo! Pleeeeeease?"

Sudden realization, "Oh my god, no."

"Hey, remember that park we were in yesterday? That had, like, the _best swings._ " She paused, blinking slowly. Then the best idea she had ever come up with formed in her head. "I think I'm gonna go fly on those swings, Elsa."

"Anna, where are you? Seriously." Elsa's voice dropped into one of genuine concern. Anna had never had a pot brownie before… or pot to begin with it. "Now you can say you've been stoned. Anna, listen to me. No, we cannot go to the zoo. The guys better get your ass back here safely because: one, I'm not missing out on you being stoned and two, you're in _no_ position to be wandering the streets without of clue of what to do."

"The guys? Pssh, who needs them?" Anna was starting to wander out of the arcade, still on the phone with Elsa. The boys took no notice to Anna going out on her own. "I like the swings, though. I want to reach the clouds!" Anna giggled manically. " _Oh my gosh. You should do a gig in the clouds!_ "

Elsa, who was searching through the town for her stoned girlfriend, pinched the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. "I'm going to fucking kill them. Hang on. I think I'm near the park. Don't do anything stupid and _don't leave_. Stay where you are."

"Can we make out some more when you get here?" Anna gushed, seating herself on a swing and kicking off, the sensation of floating swishing by her. "I miss your face, baby! Like, more than brownies."

"No, because you need to stay in one place when you come down from the high. I'm almost there." Elsa turned a street corner, spotting the park a few yards down. "Stay. Put."

"Fine! I'll just sit on your face and stay there. That's one place I'd stay foreverrrrrrr."

With a sigh, Elsa hung up as she reached the park, catching sight of Anna swinging incredibly high and laughing like a maniac. Her eyes were lazy, bloodshot, and she was grinning widely, not a care in the world.

Sitron was _so_ dead once she got her hands on him.

"Anna!" Elsa called carefully.

"Elsa!" Anna cried, leaping off the swing. She tried to land on her feet but she was so disoriented that she stumbled and fell on her knees.

 _Klutz times ten_ , Elsa thought, approaching her girlfriend and helping her up.

"Let's go, kid. We gotta get you home," Elsa cooed softly.

"No! I wanna have fun, Els!" Anna wrenched her grip from the blonde.

"You've had plenty fun in one night. Anna, please," Elsa begged.

"Elsaaaaaa." The redhead draped herself on her girlfriend, giggling. "You're such a buzzkill."

"Only because you're stoned," Elsa said bluntly.

Anna gasped, "I am?"

"Yes, you're stoned. You ate Sitron's pot brownies," Elsa told her.

"Naw, those were regular brownies!" Anna waved away Elsa's comment.

Elsa rolled her eyes. "Anna, please be reasonable and come with me."

"That's what she said!" Anna cackled, skipping away from Elsa, spinning as she went.

"You know that's not what I meant!"

"Keep telling yourself that, baby!" The younger girl strutted over to the apparatus, climbing up the steps and leaning on the little bridge railing.

Elsa just didn't understand how she felt. Everything was so slow and fuzzy but absolutely wonderful. She felt like she was walking on sunshine and she was the queen of the world. She gripped the yellow painted, iron railing, leaning back and letting all her weight be supported by her arms.

"Look at the sky, Elsa!" she said, her teal eyes watching the brilliant black and blue sheet of sparkling fireflies that lit up the night. "It's so pretty."

"It's beautiful," Elsa agreed half-heartedly, trying to calculate what to do about the trouble at hand.

"But not as beautiful as you!" Anna sang, leaning on the railing so her stomach was pressed against it.

"I'm flattered," the blonde deadpanned.

"I am Anna!" the roadie yelled into the night. "Queen of the Jungle Gym!" She beat her chest dramatically. "Hear me roar!"

The punk stared in a cross between horrified and entertained. Anna was quite the sight as she marched up and down on the jungle gym, declaring herself the ruler of it. She smacked one of the puzzles on the set and made it spin so the paint-chipped cow now had a head of a lion. Sitron's brownies were full of strong stuff and poor Anna was going to crash so hard.

"At least you have clothes on," Elsa mumbled, shaking her head, remembering an occurrence where Sitron felt a bit constricted in his clothes and wished to be free of them, laughing as he tugged off his shirt.

He had almost stripped completely, everyone present ("everyone" being the original band) trying to get him dressed again but he had come down from his high bit by bit, clothes forgotten and proceeded to eat and entire bag or Doritos before he crashed.

"Good idea, Els! This would be much more realistic without them!" She started to unbutton her blue and black plaid shirt. "Come rule the jungle with meeeeee!"

Too far.

"Anna, put your clothes _on_!" Elsa shrieked, eyes widening in alarm as Anna let her shirt slide off her arms so her torso was only in her lacy pink bra. She climbed the apparatus and grabbed the shirt, trying to force it back over her arms. But Anna squirmed, shaking her head at Elsa profusely.

No, she did _not_ wanna put her clothes on. Why didn't Elsa just let her rule the jungle? She offered her a position as second ruler after all!

"That's not what you said last night!" Anna screamed delightedly, fighting back.

"Anna, we didn't even have sex last night!"

She managed to get Anna's squirming arms back in the shirt sleeves, leading her carefully down the steps. But the roadie was desperately trying to go back to the jungle gym, tears in her eyes as she mumbled something about abandoning her kingdom. Elsa got her back to the bus with difficulty, Anna complaining all the way there.

"Anna, for fuck's sake get inside and stop trying to go back to the damn park," Elsa groaned, shoving Anna up the steps.

"Baby!" Anna cried, sniffling.

"When you come down and gather your wits I'll tend you your needs. Stop it and sit down on the couch," Elsa forced her to sit, the redhead pouting evermore, "while I call Oaken to find the boys and bring their dead asses over to me so I can properly kill them," Elsa finished acidly, shutting the separation door so Anna wouldn't escape.

"Pffft, whyyyyy? We have a FREE. BUS! " Anna bounced joyfully in place, the springs of the couch creaking.

"No, Anna," Elsa told her sternly. "I have to make the call."

She took out her phone as Anna stood up, dancing lazily in front of Elsa, the cool air of the bus tickling her exposed belly since the punk didn't have time to button up her shirt after tugging it back on her. Her eyes dropped to the waistband of Elsa's black jeans, the top of her boxer shorts just barely visible, her shirt obviously a bit too short for Elsa's taller posture.

Anna wanted Elsa more than anything right then. She wanted to make Elsa feel good just as the blonde always insisted on doing to Anna (and doing a damn good job of it). So without further ado, she stepped forward and plunged a hand down the front of Elsa's pants.

"Whoa, whoa!" yelped Elsa, yanking Anna's hand out of her boxers. "Knock it off, kid!"

"But Elsaaaaaa."

"Anna, stop it. Sit back down."

"Let me make you feel goooooood."

Elsa was far from turned on. She was incredibly worried for Anna. This wasn't going to end well and Anna was being completely insatiable. The punk steered her to sit back down.

"Stay," she ordered, as if Anna was a simpleton.

Anna childishly stuck her tongue out at her as she turned around, attempting to call Oaken once more. But the redhead was so ready for sex! She wanted to show Elsa just how much she liked her body! Just how beautiful she was! But Elsa was being so stubborn.

Deciding to take the initiative, Anna got to her feet and dropped the shirt to the floor once again but didn't stop there. She picked up where she left off in the park and removed her jeans, then bra, socks, and finally panties. Anna stood there, stark naked in the middle of the bus.

"Ooh, ooh, guess what?"

"What?"

"If you turn around, you'll find my clothes on the floor! Wow, what a coincidence." Anna grinned impishly but Elsa didn't turn around. Either Elsa was dead serious about how upset she was or she was controlling herself. "I'll be chilling in your room if you need me. Just saying~!" She ended with a sing-song voice, backing up towards Elsa's bedroom.

The punk wasn't deterred. She merely rolled her eyes. "Yeah, okay, sure."

"Elsa, I'm serious."

Elsa glanced over her shoulder to see Anna collapse onto her bed, eagle spread but instead of looking like her usually sexy and adorable self, she seemed… tired. She was finally crashing.

"I'll be in soon," Elsa worded, honestly and continuously concerned about her girlfriend. "Just wait until I murder my bandmates."

"Okay, baby… 'm jusgonna take a lil nap tilyou come back," Anna sighed, rolling over so she was on her stomach, hugging Elsa's pillow close to her chest.

The punk held her breath until she heard gentle snoring coming from her bedroom.

 _What a wild fucking ride_ , Elsa thought, sighing and pressing Oaken's number. "Thank god…"

"Hello?" said Oaken's voice from her phone after a few rings.

"Hey, Oaken. Can you bring the boys to me? I have some ass to kick."

* * *

It was around nine in the morning when Anna woke up, her naked body tucked underneath the blankets of Elsa's bed. At first, Anna thought she had a nice night with Elsa but usually her lover was right next to her to greet her in the morning. And there wasn't a pleasant tingling sensation Elsa often left her with all over her body. Nothing added up to sex... So what had happened?

She sat bolt upright, her head swimming but she didn't care. She drank in the room… no sign of her clothes anywhere. And she was _so hungry_. Her stomach was making all sorts of sounds she didn't even know were possible. It was also quiet in the bus, evidence of the boys being inside shot down.

Her memory was fuzzy. The last thing she remembered was being in the arcade and then eating something chocolatey from Sitron… secretly. Then Elsa called her. That's when she lost all recollection.

She got up from the bed and walked over to Elsa's closet, her stomach rumbling and walking a bit wobbly.

Had she been drinking?

No, Anna deduced. She would have had a headache.

She removed a pair of Elsa's boxer shorts and an over-sized T-shirt to wear for now, stumbling back over to the bed. A water bottle and her phone was on the nightstand, a note in Elsa's handwriting saying, "call me when you're up."

With shaking hands, Anna unscrewed the bottle and took a refreshing gulp of water before grabbing her phone and calling her girlfriend.

In CVS, Elsa felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She took it out and unlocked the screen, seeing that it was Anna calling her.

"Hey, kiddo, how you feeling?" Elsa said sweetly, icy eyes searching the shelves in front of her.

"Lost and confused and icky," Anna replied. "What happened? Why can't I remember anything?"

"Uhm… what _do_ you remember?" Elsa said, opening the glass door and grabbing a few Arrowheads to put in her basket.

"I remember going to the arcade after dinner, then eating Sitron's brownies, and then you calling me… and that's it." Anna leaned her back against the wall, legs crossed beneath her on the bed. "What did I do?"

"You… well, those brownies weren't exactly brownies," Elsa worded carefully, going down the candy aisle.

"What do you mean?"

Elsa suppressed a smile. "You ate _Sitron's_ brownies."

"I still don't follow you."

"You got high."

A pause.

Then a voice of utter disbelief, " _No_!"

"Yup."

"Are you kidding me!?" Anna ran a hand through her hair. "I got stoned!? I ate _fucking pot brownies_!"

"Yeah. You were very entertaining. You kept trying to have your way with me."

"Oh god I probably embarrassed myself and all my ancestors," Anna groaned, covering her eyes with her hands. "I'm so sorry!"

"Hey, kiddo, don't worry about it! Sitron was irresponsible for allowing you to be around chocolate, with or without pot in it. Of course you're gonna eat that," Elsa chuckled. "And besides, I kicked his and Olaf's ass for taking you from me in the first place. Double time for Sitron because of the brownies. They're currently passed out in their bunks and not allowed to come out until I say so."

"And Marshmallow?"

"He got yelled at. I can't hurt him… he felt bad about it, though." Elsa picked up a couple of Hershey's bars. "He, Kristoff, Sven, and Oaken are out running errands. I'm in CVS getting some extra Arrowheads since we're almost out. And because there isn't much food left, I'm gonna make a round to McDonald's to grab some breakfast. I bet you're starving."

"Yeah." Anna rubbed her stomach in an attempt to ease its grumbling. "I am."

"You have clothes on?"

"Uh-huh. I threw on one of your shirts and boxers… I'm not risking leaving this room. I'm just gonna chill in here until you get back."

"Okay, I want you to relax in the meantime. Drink that water."

"I will. Thanks, Els. As always, you're my knight in leather armor."

Elsa smirked. "It's my job to save the princess." She approached the line to purchase her items. "I'm done here. I'm gonna grab the breakfast and be on my way. Give me another ten minutes. And as much as I'm concerned about you, you're not out of the woods."

A nervous response, "What do you mean?"

"I'm going to have a serious discussion with you about this. Just because I care about you. I'm not gonna lecture you about pot and whatever 'cause I'm not your mother. It's just a different sort of lecture, I guess."

"Okay, baby, I understand," Anna sighed, twirling an end of her hair around her finger. "I'd do the same if this was the other way around. Just cuddle with me while you do it, okay? That's all I want right now."

"Yes, of course," Elsa assured. "I know you're still kinda uneasy right now. You… well, you've never been stoned so it's gonna take you some time to come all the way down. I won't yell, I promise."

"Thank you."

"See you in ten."

Anna let her hang up first before sliding down onto the bed so her head was resting on the pillow. She let her eyes fall shut, exhaustion from her apparently wild night creeping up on her again. Turning over on her stomach, though not without feeling a tad nauseous, she buried her face in Elsa's pillow and smelled the familiar minty scent of new fallen snow that followed her girlfriend everywhere she went. Even her clothes smelled like her.

* * *

"Psst, Anna," a soft, gentle voice called from beyond the void. "Wake up, baby, breakfast is here."

"Nng?" Anna grunted, cracking an eye open.

Elsa was the first thing she saw, smile calm and reassuring that everything was okay. Anna grinned sleepily up at her, waving her fingers as a form of greeting.

"Hello to you, too," Elsa laughed. She held up the McDonald's bags, the aroma of sausage biscuits and hash browns filling Anna's nose. "I brought you something to munch on."

Her stomach let out a thankful growl. "You're the best girlfriend a gal could ask for."

"And don't you forget it," Elsa teased, bending down and kissing her. "Scoot over I'm gonna sit."

Anna moved over for Elsa, sitting up in the process. Elsa had changed in her pajamas before waking Anna up so she was able to comfortably sit beside her. She pulled out two biscuits and hash browns, handing Anna her water while she took a sip of her coffee.

Then she opened her arm for Anna to snuggle inside, the roadie quietly nibbling on her hash brown. She waited for Elsa's lecture, staring up at her with a doe-eyed expression.

"Okay, first things first: _never ever_ take _anything_ Sitron offers you. I don't care what it is. Or if it's in his pocket. Never take something of his. You don't know what it could be," Elsa said, raising a brow at her. "Understand?"

Anna nodded.

"Good." Elsa's face softened. "Now I know you had no control over what you did last night but try to be somewhat practical and just come along with me instead of fighting back."

"Sorry," Anna whispered.

"It's not your fault. Hopefully there won't be a next time." Elsa used her free hand that wasn't holding her biscuit to brush hair out of Anna's face, her shock of white standing out amongst the red and her cartilage piercing glinting in the light. "I was just worried about you, that's all. And if you ever wanna try it again with your knowledge, do it someplace in private. Just be safe. I don't want you getting hurt."

Her voice was so sincere yet so anxious. She really did genuinely care about what happened to Anna. She wasn't laughing about the whole thing or making fun of her. She was soothingly letting her know that all she wanted Anna to be was… okay. Safe. Away from harm.

"Thank you, Elsa," Anna sighed, finishing her hash brown and turning to her biscuit. "I appreciate what you did for me. I must have been difficult… what _did_ I do exactly?"

"You went to the park and tried to fly on the swings. Then you climbed the apparatus, claiming you were queen of the jungle gym." Anna snorted and Elsa grinned at her. "Then you started to take off your clothes to make it realistic."

"I did _what_!?" Anna cried, eyes bugging out of her head.

"Relax, relax! You only got your shirt off but I got it back on you," Elsa soothed. "Like I said, you were very insistent on having your way with me. You stripped down inside the bus before passing out in here."

Anna groaned for the umpteenth time that morning, absolutely embarrassed of herself. "Good _god_ , I must have been a mess!"

"Hey, you were stoned. It's okay. Anything coming back to you?"

"Bits and pieces," Anna admitted, "now that I'm hearing about it."

"Like what?"

"Like… wanting to go to the swings and stuff. I don't remember much because it probably was my first time. I don't really recall the feeling to be good, though. I felt detached and disoriented and that scares me." Anna glanced down at the bite in her biscuit. "I understand it felt… better during the high itself but I don't wanna feel like that again. No, never again. I'm already a klutz.

"I also know that there are people who can be stoned and go on easily. That's fine. But I just… I couldn't do it."

"I'm glad you're sorting yourself out," Elsa mused, kissing her head gently. "Don't worry, I don't think you'll be getting stoned again anytime soon."

"No way. My pot brownie days are over."

"It was hardly a day. Maybe… an hour and a half of your—"

A glare, " _Elsa_."

The punk snorted and dusted off her fingers, finishing up her hash browns.

"Sorry, baby, I had to get technical," she chortled.

"No, you didn't," Anna sighed, rolling her eyes. "You're just giving me a hard time."

"Besides saving you and giving you affection, that's also my job. That's been my job since we first met," Elsa reminded her. "Tightly-wound, mountain kid who wore dorky plaid shirts and didn't like me. Remember her? 'Cause I do. And I think to myself, by god I'm so lucky to have won her over."

Color rose into Anna's cheeks, glancing up to meet Elsa's smile.

"You… you don't mean that, do you?" she said quietly.

Elsa titled her head so she could kiss Anna deeply, cupping her neck to bring her closer.

"Of course I mean that," Elsa said confidently. "You know I care about you."

"I care about you, too," Anna responded, smiling stupidly at her.

Voices filled the front room, footsteps making the bus shift and quake. The engine was turned on, bringing the bus to life. Slowly, Oaken pulled into the street and towards the next unknown destination, the band still having plenty of time before their next concert.

"Finish your breakfast, kid," Elsa told her, nodding at the sausage biscuit. "And afterwards we can snuggle and watch whatever movie you want that's on demand."

"Any movie? So I can finally force you through _27 Dresses_?"

Elsa sighed heavily. "Yes."

The roadie grinned. "Yay!" She pecked Elsa's jaw. "Thank you, baby."

"The things I do for you…"

* * *

 

**So this was actually really fun! Based off the role-playing events of redheaded-klutz and itspunkelsamotherfucker. If you want more fun times with them and the band, follow them on tumblr!**

**The next chapter will be a bit dramatic with some doubts for Anna. You'll see what I mean once it comes out.**

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**See you next time!**


	23. Is Your Love In Vain

**So here's the promised drama. Every good Elsanna story needs it, of course! Mwhahaha.**

**Enjoy, my loves!**

* * *

Oaken had to stop and get gas in a rinky dink down in North Dakota, the bus starting to run dangerously low. So the gang decided to stick around for the day and see the sights. Not that the town itself had much to see. It had a small population of 2,500 and each home was cookie-cutter style in the residential areas. The town square was made up of mom-and-pop shops, bars, and the city hall.

It was like something out of a classic television show about small town life. It was charming, yes, but held an atmosphere of loneliness. There was a zoo just off the highway a few miles north of the town, apparently the only source of entertainment that wasn't the run-down theatre with a dull marquee advertising movies that had long since been removed from other theaters.

Arendelle was a small town but its population was well into the one-hundred thousands. Small compared to Los Angeles and New York but it was definitely bigger than this place.

Elsa and Anna broke off from the group sometime during their afternoon "tour" and got some lunch. Afterwards, Elsa pinned Anna against an alley wall and they had a good old fashioned make-out session hidden away from the passing world. Around sun set, the guys eventually discovered them in the town square's park in front of city hall, sitting on a bench, talking happily, and holding hands.

"Hey, don't run off like that," Sitron said, as if he were their chaperone on a school tour.

"We can do whatever we want," Elsa told him flatly.

"Yeah, we're adults," Anna added.

"Hardly," Olaf teased, tossing Anna's hair.

She smacked his arm away with a grin. "Stop iiiiit."

"What do you want?" Elsa sighed at her band members. "We were having a nice date without you."

"We were thinking of going out drinking tonight," Marshmallow said. "There's an Irish bar down the way that actually looks really good. It's called Etain O'Connor's."

"I heard it's popular around here," said Kristoff. "We should go check it out."

"Maybe," Elsa said. "But do we really have to waste money on booze?"

"It's good booze!" Olaf insisted.

"Just because it's Irish doesn't mean it's good booze," Elsa retorted. "If we were in Ireland, then that would be a different story. America tries to hard to be copycats."

"What if they have the actual stuff we all like?" said Sitron.

"C'mon, Els," Anna said, giving her girlfriend a smile. "It'll be fun. What do you have against Irish drinks?"

"Nothing!" Elsa said defensively. "I just had Irish tea once and it wasn't legitimate Irish tea so I felt betrayed by my country."

"Drama queen," Anna said, clicking her tongue.

"Really, you're supposed to know that by now," Elsa said dryly.

"Let's just grab a drink and enjoy ourselves," Sven said with a weak smile.

Sitron clapped his hands once. "Yeah, it—"

"If you say that it will be fun _one_ more time I'm going to end you," Elsa snapped, rising to her feet and dragging Anna with her. "Fine. A few drinks and then we go back to the bus."

* * *

The bar was festively decorated with all the Irish stereotypes America could come up with such as leprechauns, four-leaf clovers, and beer mugs clinking together. Elsa wondered if the get-up would be offensive to actual Irish people… but it _was_ America's interpretation of the country. It must be a popular place for Saint Patrick's Day, celebrating the holiday in full swing.

Kristoff and Sven went off to a booth to order some food along with a few shots of whiskey. Marshmallow took to the wall, nursing a beer and watching the crowd go by. Olaf had found a rather pretty girl at the bar and was chatting her up, making her giggle. Sitron had vanished… somewhere. Though Elsa thought she heard his voice in the middle of the dance floor as he attempted to show off his moves.

She and Anna were at the other side of the bar, eating a bowl of pretzels and drinking a couple of cheaper beers and simply enjoying each other's company.

"I really wanna bounce," Elsa mumbled. "But this beer is actually kinda good."

Anna giggled. "Lucky they didn't ask for my ID… yeah, it really is. Did you wanna grab some actual food?"

"I'm sorta stuffed from lunch, actually."

"Yeah, that buffet was ridiculous, wasn't it?"

"Definitely got our fill."

"Yo, Elsa!" Olaf called from the other side of the bar. "C'mere, my new friend wants to ask you something!"

Elsa gave Anna a quick kiss. "I'll be right back. Excuse me."

"Have fun," Anna smirked, watching her girlfriend leave to see what the guitarist wanted.

As Anna munched on a few more pretzels, she felt like someone was staring at her. She turned her head slightly to see two girls looking directly at her as if they couldn't believe their eyes. One girl had long, sandy blonde hair tied into a ponytail and her friend had dark brown hair that fell past her shoulders.

"Hello?" she said with uncertainty.

"Who are you?" the blonde said in an annoyingly high-pitched voice.

"Uhm… Anna," replied the roadie, scrunching her brows together.

"And are you, like, with Elsa? _The_ Elsa?" demanded the other girl.

"You mean dating?" They nodded. "Well, yeah. I mean, you obviously just saw us kiss so…"

"How are _you_ dating her?" hissed the first girl.

"I'm a roadie on this tour," Anna said slowly, not liking where this was going.

"Oh…" both girls breathed, looking at one another wisely.

"Just a roadie?" the second girl scoffed. "So you sleep with the band and get paid for it?"

"No, that's a groupie."

Anna remembered how she had assumed the same thing about roadies before Elsa corrected her. Did she sound as ignorant back then as these girls did now?

"Same difference. You're a slut," squealed the first girl.

 _Wow. Ouch_. "I am not!" Anna growled. "I happen to be in a very healthy relationship with Elsa, thank you very much."

"What are you gonna do when Elsa leave you behind?" snickered the first girl.

Anna's anger receded into sudden insecurity and doubt. "What? She wouldn't do that!"

"Sure she would. She's a rock star. She could have anyone in the world. Why would she settle for just you?" spat the brunette.

"You're just jealous!" Anna argued. "Jealous because I'm dating her and you're pathetic fans that make out with posters of her!"

"As if!" The first fan rolled her eyes. "She's just playing around with you. You're nothing but a toy and she's letting you stick around for a good fuck until she dumps your sorry ass."

"That's not true!"

"She's gonna leave you behind," laughed the second fan. "You're nothing to someone like _her_."

"Shut up!" Anna yelled, standing up from her seat, shaking with anger.

"Whoa, what the hell is going on here?" Elsa's voice said from behind her.

"Ohmigod, it's Elsa!" the first fan gasped excitedly, as if she hadn't been bashing Anna mere seconds ago.

"Elsa, please go out with me," begged the second fan.

"You up for some one plus two fun?" suggested the first, winking seductively.

 _Are you fucking serious?_ Anna thought acidly, glaring at the two.

Elsa was appalled. "What? No!"

Sure, she used to make out with fans but that was before she knew she liked Anna, wanted to date Anna. She wasn't a cheater and no way would she even go out with either of these girls. They looked spiteful and rude and frankly weren't Elsa's type. She also sensed something else was off by the way her girlfriend was standing. Anna was standing tall but stiff, arms crossed protectively over her chest, and face set in a stoney expression.

"They've been telling me some awful things," Anna told her, facing the blonde with a desperate look that read _get me out of here_.

"Like what?" Elsa wondered, reaching out and taking Anna gently by the arm.

"Like that you're gonna leave me," Anna said quietly so only Elsa could hear.

The punk's face clouded over. " _What?_ " Her icy eyes bore into the two fans and she shook her head at them. "I want you to listen good," she said lowly, "I am _never_ going to break up with this girl." The smug looks on their faces melted like ice on a hot day, realizing they had been caught. "C'mon, Anna. Let's get back to the bus."

Elsa started to escort the poor ginger out of the bar, ignoring the questions they got from the band members as they passed by. Anna was still hugging her arms close to her chest, looking pensive.

She wasn't crying… she felt lost. Felt like those girls might be right on some level. She was so deep in her doubt that she didn't even realize they were already in front of the bus five minutes later, Elsa guiding Anna up the steps and into her bedroom.

Anna weakly sat on the foot of Elsa's bed, kicking off her shoes as the punk shut the door, trying to contain her rage towards her inconsiderate fans.

"I shouldn't have kissed you in public, I'm sorry," Elsa said but wasn't looking at Anna. "I just… I was caught up in the moment and I was being affectionate. I gotta think these things through and I…" She glanced over her shoulder at Anna, who was sitting awkwardly on her bed, not looking back at her. Elsa's fury melted into concern for the second time that week. But this time it wasn't because her girlfriend was under the influence. "Anna, are you okay?"

"Maybe they meant when the tour ends…" Anna replied hollowly. "I never actually thought about it before now…" She met Elsa's gaze, tears sparkling in her teal orbs. "And maybe they're right."

"Oh, Anna, no!" Elsa cried, alarmed. She rushed to Anna's side, sitting beside her and taking her face in her gloved hands. "Nothing like that would happen, I swear. Don't believe what those stupid girls say or think."

"How can you be so sure?" Anna whimpered. "The tour ends in a month and you'll probably go back to Wisconsin after you drop me off in Arendelle and—"

"Anna, that's eons away," Elsa cooed softly, kissing her forehead.

"I'm trying not to think about what they said, but it's hard not to… Really, why are you so confident about this?"

"Because I know. There's nobody else in this world I'd rather spend my time with. Rather kiss during late nights. Rather hold and laugh with." Elsa gave her a smile. "I… I deeply care about you, Anna. I promise you."

"Okay… you know I feel the same." She let out a sigh and returned the smile. "You're amazing."

"How about you change into some pajamas and wash up? Then we'll get in bed, I'll smother you in kisses and cuddle with you all night, never letting go. How's that sound?"

"Sounds great. You're the best, I hope you know that."

"Only for you, cupcake."

After Anna changed into her pajamas and got ready for bed, she met Elsa— also clad in her pjs— back in the bedroom. The punk had with her a couple of Hershey's bars, patting the spot Anna usually slept in with a playful grin.

Curious, Anna crawled into bed with her and watched as Elsa opened and broke one of the candy bars before placing a piece between her teeth and bending down to give her a kiss. Anna understood at once and, as if they were Lady and the Tramp on a lovely Bella Note, they shared a chocolate kiss.

Elsa continued to feed her chocolate between their kisses, occasionally giving her neck and face some attention, trying to show Anna how much she cared for her and screw what those girls thought.

Anna was still upset so Elsa thought it would be a good time to get some rest and try for more cheering up in the morning. They finished one last candy bar before Elsa pulled her in and kissed her goodnight, wishing her sweet dreams.

Teal eyes closed and she breathed in the cool scent of the punk, trying to get herself together. She hated that Elsa had to dote on her twice this week but things seemed to be snowballing in a direction that Anna wasn't sure of. She appreciated the gesture immensely and knew Elsa was only trying to help but she wished she wasn't as vulnerable.

When they first met, she had that backbone with walls up around her heart to avoid this kind of piercing self doubt. Elsa broke it down brick by brick just as Anna learned about her chapter by chapter. They were _both_ vulnerable… but Anna was suddenly the one who was needy.

Sure, she had cheered Elsa up after the voice break, she rooted for her and supported her when they weren't dating, and she would defend her girlfriend until the earth ended. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Anna knew dating a celebrity with this feeling was inevitable. She just wished that it didn't have to be this disturbing and nerve-racking.

* * *

With hardly any sleep in her system, Anna didn't want to get out of bed the next day. She was staring dully up at the ceiling with lidded eyes and pursed lips.

"C'mon, kid," Elsa tried, giving her a smile as she tied up her combat boots. "We can do whatever you want before we go."

"I just wanna stay here," Anna sighed. "With you."

"Okay… uh, how about I run out and get us come coffee first," Elsa said. "And after that we can cuddle—"

"You need to work," Anna told her bluntly. "I don't want to be a burden over you losing precious productivity."

Elsa stared. "Anna, you're _never_ a burden."

"Please? It'll make me feel better."

"If that's what you want," Elsa approached the head of the bed, offering her a smile, "then that's what we'll do. They guys are also planning something for later this afternoon so you _have_ to accommodate those idiots."

Anna mustered a smile back. "Okay."

"I'll be back," Elsa said, kissing her forehead. "See you in ten."

Again, "Okay."

And Elsa left, Anna returning her attention to the ceiling. It was so white. Made of plaster and completely blank. It didn't make sense how perfect a ceiling could be. Her old ceilings throughout her life always had some kind of crack or bump that made it imperfect.

Anna recalled her bedroom back home in her dorm room. How tiny it was with a door to an even tinier bathroom. Her main room and kitchen were probably only a few feet larger than the bedroom. It was a small existence on campus but it was cozy for the most part.

When she was home with her parents, however, her room was still oozing with teenage interests. Her movie posters, her stereo, her stuffed animals, and her bed with a throw blanket of her favorite movie. The walls were still a deep olive color with quotes along them. She wondered if she could go back before school started up again… once Elsa left for Wisconsin.

Snarling, Anna turned over onto her stomach and shook her head.

"Stop it," she scolded herself, voice muffled from the fabric of the pillows. "You knew what you were getting into as soon as you kissed her that night. As soon as you had sex with her. As soon as you started this relationship. There isn't a thing you can do about it."

Silence greeted her and Anna felt tears leak out of the corners of her eyes, staining the pillow.

"Just you wait and see…"

She eventually turned over and looked at the ceiling again, suddenly spying cracks and bumps. It was imperfect like her ceilings back home and was waiting for someone to patch it up again. Something had happened to it long before Dry Ice got the bus with the new engine. It was a bit of a fixer upper.

Elsa came back with Starbucks and doughnuts, putting their breakfasts on the bedside table. She changed back into her pajamas and grabbed a pencil and her notebook, ready to get down to work. She crawled across the bed to sit between Anna and the window, asking politely for her to hand her the hot chocolate and glazed doughnut before she started on the song.

Anna sat herself up and nibbled on her chocolate frosted and rainbow sprinkled doughnut, taking small sips of her cocoa. No words were said. There wasn't much to say anyway.

After they finished eating, Anna slid onto her back again but this time she was over the blankets. Elsa decided to use the bed as her desk, sprawling herself across Anna's stomach in order to make use of the mattress. Anna couldn't move but she didn't mind. She didn't feeling like doing much moving.

Silence still, Anna gazing at the ceiling again but without the focus she had earlier. Elsa glanced at her out of the corner of her eye and frowned at the sight of the pout on the ginger's face.

Elsa lifted herself on all fours before turning herself so Anna's legs were in between her arms and legs. Anna blinked down at Elsa as the punk slid the roadie's tank top up just below her chest, resting herself gently on her legs, and started kissing her tummy.

Her hands covered her lips, trying to keep a straight face. The kisses were so fleeting and gentle and they _tickled_. They tickled like crazy, lips tracing the freckles splattered along her tan skin.

"Elsa?" Anna giggled. "What are you even doing?"

"You were pouting," Elsa told her, breath ghosting over the flat stomach. "So I'm cheering you up." She raised her icy orbs to meet teal. "Is it working?"

A bit of a bottom lip and a shy nod. "Yeah," Anna sighed. "It actually feels good."

"Good," Elsa said, running her free bare hand along the sides of Anna's tummy, making goosebumps shoot up the redhead's arms. Kisses continued, giggling following shortly behind them.

"Els, you gotta work," Anna reminded her.

"Fuck it," Elsa groaned, pressing a kiss above Anna's waistband.

"Elsa!" Anna squealed. "C'mon, you said you would!"

With a disgruntled noise, Elsa rolled off of her, careful not to squish her notebook paper, and sent Anna a reproachful look.

"You're not letting me take care of you," she said sadly.

"The kisses were enough," Anna said with a smile. "You cheered me up but you promised to work."

Rolling her eyes, the punk returned to lying across Anna's tummy and writing notes down for potential songs. The kisses were enough, like Anna said, to keep her slightly happy but there was still lingering hurt in her heart. Perhaps the boys were coming up with something that was worth forgetting last night.

"Hey, how does this sound?" Elsa said, breaking another long silence. "'It was the start of new beginnings, Small for me and you and mine, Factoring the lies of the night, Drunk on second hand romances, And first dances.'"

Anna gaped at her. "Did you just come up with that?"

"No, I was playing around with it for a while. Does it work?"

"I like that a lot."

"Cool, I'll keep it up."

"Do you have a name for it yet?"

Elsa shook her head. "No. For me, the title doesn't come until I have the chorus down or the entire song finished." She sent Anna a wink. "'Let It Go' came easily."

"Obviously," Anna chuckled. "The entire song has to do with letting it go." She watched as Elsa continued to write, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth with concentration. "Hey, Els?"

"Mmmm?"

"What's 'Let It Go' about? Are you ever gonna tell me?"

Elsa's pencil paused over the paper.

"What I mean is," Anna restarted quickly, "is that you've told me about your scars and everything… and I know a bit about your past like with your mom and dad. I connected the dots but I have a feeling the lyrics are more meaningful than I think they are. I didn't write the song, after all. Though, I could be right but if I guess I don't wanna insult the original idea..."

A long silence and Anna wondered if she screwed up big time. Elsa turned her head to her and gave her a weak smile.

"I'll tell you in Wisconsin," she said quietly.

Anna sat up abruptly at her words, forcing Elsa to roll off of her stomach and onto her back with a bitter "hey!"

"You're gonna face your mom?" Anna gasped at the blonde.

"Yeah… I was thinking about it," Elsa mumbled, rubbing the heel of her hand above her left eye, the scars scratching the skin slightly. "I mean, if I'm gonna be happier in life, I need to face my demons. You helped me with that more than you know." She batted her eyelashes at her. "Thank you."

A goofy grin. "Awh, Elsa. You know I'm gonna be with you the entire way through."

"I know," Elsa said, moving herself so her arms were locked around Anna's torso, head buried in her stomach, rear-end in the air. "You're somethin' special, kid."

Anna snorted. "What are you doing now?"

"I'm gonna kiss your tummy s'more," was Elsa's muffled reply, lifting her shirt up and kissing the rolls that came with Anna's sitting up position, making the poor roadie laugh.

"Stoppit, that tickles!" she squeaked.

"Make me."

Anna bit her lip and dug her fingers into Elsa's sides as retaliation. Suddenly Elsa yelped and flew backwards, toppling over the bed. Anna was left breathless with laughter, holding her sides as a pouting Elsa clambered back on the bed.

"The fuck, Anna!?" she spluttered.

"Ohmigod, you're ticklish, aren't you!?" Anna wheezed.

Pale cheeks flushed. "I am not!"

"You are so!"

"You just startled me!"

Anna lifted a brow, grinning maliciously, before she dove after her girlfriend. Icy eyes widened and Elsa ran for it, being chased around the bedroom with Anna hot on her heels. They were shouting at one another, Anna trying hard to tickle her and Elsa attempting to run from the attack.

Finally Anna made another dive, tackling Elsa onto the bed and tickling her relentlessly. And Elsa started laughing, gasping out pleas for her to stop. This was the most Anna heard the punk laugh until she was breathless. Completely pinned underneath the redhead, Elsa was helpless and could hardly fight back.

"I-I don't underst-stand," Elsa whined with an open-mouthed grin. "I was j-ja-haha! Anna, I was just kissing your t-tummy!"

"Yeah, and I'm just tickling you," Anna responded dryly, a smirk to match Elsa's infamous one spread across her cheeks.

"P-please, stop!" Elsa wailed. "I'll d-do whatever you want, I swear!"

Anna's fingers slowed, interest piqued. "Anything?"

Breathing heavily, "Anything."

"Next time we have sex, I'm gonna do you. Just you," Anna said seriously.

"Wait, _what?_ " Elsa said, astonished.

"Yeah! As much as I like you making me the receiving end, I wanna give you some attention," Anna said. "So I get to do you next time."

"O-okay," Elsa said, blinking slowly. "Deal."

"I also get to tickle you from time to time," Anna went on. "But just for fun. You can kiss my tummy all you want." She bent down and kissed her. "I was just being silly."

Elsa smirked. "I know you were. But I'll meet your demands with gusto. I can't wait to see what you have in store for me."

"You won't know when it's coming," Anna teased.

"Hey!" Olaf's voice called from the front room. "Get dressed! We figured out where we're gonna take Anna to cheer her up some more."

"Obviously you two were having some cheering up time," Sitron barked. "Keep it down in there when you fuck."

"We were having a tickle-fight, you pig," Elsa yelled back, standing as Anna got off of her. "Not everything we do has to do with sex!"

"Really? Shocker!" Sitron drawled.

"Keep that up, Sitron, and I'll march right in there and knee you in the balls!" Elsa snapped.

* * *

Getting dressed in casual day clothes and meeting with the boys was followed by a short walk to the local zoo. Oaken joined them in order to keep back crowds of fans— which turned out to be a great idea because Elsa was getting a lot of attention as they waited in line to buy tickets. She spared them waves, winks, and blew a few kisses their way but had no intention on leaving Anna's side.

Anna wasn't bothered by that sort of attention, however. She knew it was only Elsa giving her fans appreciation. But she liked that Elsa wasn't going over to sign autographs or take pictures for once. No, the blonde stayed with her and Anna felt like number one.

After they went through the gates, they toured the zoo together, Olaf and Anna running off to each gate, oohing and aahing at the animals as they lounged around in the sun. Marshmallow even got enthusiastic when they viewed the elephants and gorillas, grinning at the gentle beasts just like him.

Sitron went ballistic over the zebras and even persuaded everyone to go on the horse ride for "kids of all ages." Sven cooed over the reindeer in the petting zoo, he and Kristoff giving them carrots.

They passed through the cool reptile room before having lunch, then going off to see the other animals. Elsa made them stop so she could admire the timber wolves and even made eye contact with one, earning a short bark in her direction.

But the best exhibit of all was when they looked around at the roped cages holding different kinds of birds and monkeys… and Anna spotted the sloths.

She didn't even let go of Elsa's hand and tore the punk away from the conversation she was having with Kristoff, dragging her to the cage.

"Look at them!" Anna cried. "Look at the cute sloths! Ooh, I should have brought Mose with me!"

"He'll be fine at home," Elsa said with an endearing smile. "Hey, doesn't that one look like him?" Elsa jabbed a finger at one of the sloths chilling on a rope with an uncanny resemblance to the one hiding in Anna's bed.

"You guys!" Anna said gleefully. "It's Mose in real life!"

"Who's Mose?" Kristoff said, the group finally meeting up with the girls.

"Anna's stuffed sloth that Elsa got her to cure a hangover," Olaf said cheekily, gulping down his Coke in the commemorative cheetah cup.

"And Mose is an acronym of our names," Marshmallow added.

Sven did the calculations in his head before his expression lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh! I get it!"

"So you have a thing for sloths," Kristoff said, standing next to Anna and looking at the mammals as well.

"A big thing," Anna sighed dreamily.

"I hope the sloths don't replace me," Elsa pouted sarcastically.

"Of course they do," Anna teased, giggling and winking at Elsa whose eyes rolled upwards.

"Gee, thanks," Elsa countered.

They eventually left the sloths behind and headed to the big cat exhibits, the group breaking off and wandering around the area since the crowd had thinned as the day ended. Elsa and Anna leaned against the railing of the tiger cage, looking into their habitat as the beasts snoozed and enjoyed the summer sun.

"Thank you, Elsa," Anna said, "for cheering me up today."

"Anna, I want you to remember that even if I give my fans love, it doesn't mean I'll ever turn my back on you," Elsa said quietly, running her thumb over Anna's knuckles. "Those girls went over the line last night and I didn't like seeing you hurt. People like that make me sick. You're everything to me… okay?"

A small nod, "Okay."

Elsa kissed her gently after checking if people were watching so they would avoid another catastrophe like last night.

"Don't worry to much, kid," Elsa muttered against her lips.

* * *

**Some really interesting fluff in the next chapter, followed by the biggest angst yet in the one after that.**

**Then we'll have them doing a concert, Wisconsin, and then… well… you'll see.**

**-evil grin-**

**So, thanks so much for your continued support! Feedback is always appreciated!**

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**See you next time!**


	24. Sing

**Some more fluff just as I promised. The beginning of this chapter seems smutty but it isn't really described like the other two were. So… yeah, you'll see.**

**Shall we commence?**

* * *

Elsa was always a loud person. Well, not so much growing up. She was taught to be mild-mannered and quiet until she discovered her own voice. And how good it felt to belt out long notes as she sang her heart out. She picked up the talent of being loud and sometimes obnoxious but it simply came with the package of having such a strong voice.

She couldn't remember the last time someone had rendered her absolutely speechless. Maybe it was when she got the record deal and she could hardly speak… maybe it was when she heard her hands would never heal again. But they hadn't been for very long. She might have stood there, gawked, and then either cheered for the former or cried for the latter.

Somehow, Anna had caused Elsa to lose all of her vocal cords in one session.

Elsa had once declared that Anna would be speechless after oral sex. Now, it was true when Elsa _had_ given Anna said sex, the redhead had been gasping for a phrase to describe the sensation. And she had been moaning throughout, filling the room around them with Elsa's name, receiving several complaints from the boys the following morning about needing earplugs.

The punk considered herself to be rather vocal during sex. Chanting her lover's name, mewling, groaning, and eventually crying out at the end.

But there she was, eyes screwed up shut and mouth agape, chest heaving but her breaths were silent, hands gripping at the sheets with a leg around Anna's shoulders as the roadie went down on her.

Not a sound left Elsa's lips as she came. And it wasn't until Anna lifted her head from between her legs did Elsa let out a shuttering breath, eyes snapping open in both ecstasy and shock.

"You good up there?" Anna said, raising her brows.

It took Elsa a few beats to collect herself.

"What… the… fuck?" Elsa gasped.

"I'm taking that as a yes?"

"What just happened… did you… I came and…" Elsa sat herself up on her elbows, staring at Anna. "I hardly made a sound."

"Well," Anna wiped off her mouth casually like one would do to get some food off their lips, "at first you were pretty moan-y but as soon as I spelled out the letters, you just sorta clamped up."

"What were you even spelling?" wondered Elsa, sliding herself up and reaching for a bottle of water.

"I was spelling the lyrics of 'Do I Wanna Know,'" Anna admitted cheekily. "I'm not much of a singer but I wanted to do a similar thing you did."

Elsa handed her the water, swallowing hard before she spoke. "You certainly shut me up."

"I think the boys appreciated that," Anna snickered before taking a swig. "Okay… lemme see…" She sized her girlfriend up. "I think I wanna try two more things…"

"Jesus, you're gonna run me dry," Elsa said.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Anna leaned forward. "Did you not want the fun sex?"

"I want the fun sex, believe me. But it's almost midnight because it took me a while to warm up…" Elsa flushed with slight shame. "And I don't want you to get tired."

"Fine, _one_ more thing and then it's straight to bed for the both of us."

"What did you have in mind?"

"Just relax," Anna purred, gently pushing Elsa back into the pillows. "I'll take good care of you."

* * *

The following morning, the bus parked in a tiny town bordering North Dakota and Minnesota. Elsa, Sitron, Olaf, and Marshmallow had rented a small auditorium in order to practice, Sven and Kristoff joining them for a small tech rehearsal. Anna was given the day off by Elsa— "Because, fuck, you rocked my world last night you should take a break."— so she was all alone in the bus. Oaken was running a few errands and before meeting up with the rest of the band.

So Anna had the bus to herself. And she was actually really excited about it. She was hanging out in her loose fitting T-shirt, a pair of yoga pants she turned into short shorts, and her Doctor Who socks.

She played a few games by herself on the PlayStation and ended up yelling at the screen a thousand times as poor Ezio fell from the top of the Vatican, studied in her bedroom and took several notes to apply to her second semester, texted Rapunzel to see how she was, and even called her mom.

"Hey, Mom!" Anna chirped, lying on her bed.

"Anna, it's so good to hear from you… finally." The last word came out mumbled.

"I've texted you and Dad!" Anna defended.

"Hardly."

"I've been busy," Anna sighed. "Busy with work and the concerts and just about everything else."

"Mhm… so, how are you, honey?"

"I'm great! We're up in North Dakota right now. Judging by time zones, you just got up, right?"

"Indeed," chuckled Faye. "I'm making coffee for your father."

"When he gets up, tell him I miss him," Anna said.

"Anything else?"

"And I'm safe. I know he worries."

"He'll be happy to know you're doing okay. How about the tour itself? How's that been experience wise?"

"Oh, it's wonderful. I learned so many tech related things and I've lost a few pounds from heavy lifting."

"How about performance wise? Can you play an instrument now?"

"Mom, you _know_ I'm not musically gifted."

"You can sing."

"Hardly. I pale in comparison to Elsa."

"What's she like, by the way?"

"Elsa… is…" Anna felt a big smile stretch across her face. "Wonderful, actually."

"Is she really? Last I heard, she's an arrogant punk who can't get her head out of the clouds."

"She still is but in a good way… a different way."

"You sound wistful."

"I do not!"

"Anna, do you like Elsa?" teased Faye.

Anna bit her lip before she responded. "What if I told you I'm dating her?"

"Wait… back up—"

"Mom, I'm dating a blonde, popular, sexual celebrity who likes to make her fans fall to their knees yet I've brought _her_ to her knees." Anna grinned. "Elsa and I are a couple."

There was a long pause, as if Anna's mother was trying to process this information. A few clicking noises followed the silence then her mom finally spoke again.

"There's nothing online about it," Faye said.

"Because we're not entirely public. She wants to keep my image safe from the paparazzi," Anna explained.

"Oh… good. She's responsible about privacy." Faye sounded relieved.

"God, Mom, don't worry about it. And Elsa's a private person believe it or not. It took me a month and a half to get her to open up to me."

"I assume when you come home your father and I will be meeting her?"

 _If Elsa doesn't break up with me first,_ Anna thought bitterly. "I think that can be arranged," she said instead. "I don't think she would be apprehensive about the idea."

"Apprehensive! That's a good word."

"Isn't it? It was on the word of the day app on my phone!"

"How is she as a girlfriend, though? She isn't another Hans is she?" Her voice was bitter, still angry at the boy who broke her daughter's heart.

Faye could still remember Anna's face when she came home that night, crying about how she found out Hans was cheating on her. She had been playing a game on his phone and someone under the name of "Babe" who was clearly _not_ Anna, had texted him saying exactly what she wanted him to do to her in bed. Anna had broken up with him, punched him in the face, and ran home to her parents, crying into her mother's arms as Faye tried to talk David down from going out to kill Hans himself.

Anna chuckled slightly. "No, she's not. Actually, and you're gonna laugh about this, but Elsa is the one Hans cheated on me with."

" _What?_ "

"Yup."

Faye snorted. "You're joking."

"Nope."

"Oh goodness! What a low blow for Hans! His two ex-girlfriends dating one another."

"Yeah, we laughed about that, too!" Anna giggled. "I kinda want to tell him just to mock him."

"Next time you see him, flaunt your relationship in his face."

"I fully intend on doing so."

"Anything else you need to tell me?"

Anna gnawed on her lip as she thought. What important information could she give to her mother? She wouldn't tell her mother about the pot incident just yet. She could _never_ tell her mom she drinks underage. Not until she was at least fifty. She combed through her mind for things to say until

"Elsa made me get a new piercing?" Anna tried, cringing slightly.

A steely tone, "Where?"

"A cartilage piercing."

Her mother let out a relieved breath. "Okay, good."

"Mom, don't be judgmental!"

"I'm not! I'm just glad you didn't do anything too reckless just yet."

"I like how you used the word yet as if I'm gonna do something far worse."

"Just you wait. I used to have a cartilage piercing myself, didn't you know?"

"You did _not_."

"I did so. I took it out because it hurt too much. I still have a mark on my ear. Your aunt made me get one."

"Auntie Primrose made you get the piercing?"

"And she got a tattoo in the same parlor. Uncle Thomas' name. Lucky she ended up marrying him, huh? I expected Rapunzel to take you out to get a crazy piercing. But instead you got it at a shop with a rock star."

"It was a clean place, you don't have to make it sound so awful. She got me ice cream afterwards."

"Oh thank god she got you ice cream." Anna could visualize her mother rolling her eyes at her.

"And a jacket!"

"Yes, that heals a cartilage piercing."

"Mom, chill."

"Don't tell your mother to chill, young lady."

"I just did."

"You've gotten an attitude out on the road."

"It comes with the job."

A light laugh. "You know, I'm glad you went out there with them. You seem happier just by the sound of your voice."

"I _am_ happy. I dunno… there's drama and stuff out here but we all support and love one another and we seriously just…" Anna shrugged helplessly even though her mother wasn't there. "We're a family."

"That's wonderful to hear." Faye let out a tired sigh. "Alright, honey, I have to get some breakfast going. I'll talk to you soon. Love you."

"Love you, too, Mom!"

Anna hung up with a better attitude than before she spoke with her mom. Conversations with the woman always made Anna smile. She honestly couldn't wait to see her again when she returned to Arendelle. Her and her dad, of course.

As she sat up, her stomach decided that it was time for an early lunch by growling loudly at her. The bus was still empty as she crept out to the front. She entered the tiny kitchen, pulling out a plate and whatever she could find in the fridge that would fill her until dinnertime.

Sticking a frozen meal into the microwave, Anna started to tap out a beat on the counter, remembering her mother's comment on her singing voice. She missed singing and hadn't done it in a while since she was hardly ever alone on this tour.

But now that the bus was empty…

She started to whistle shaking her hips to the beat of the song as it played in her head.

" _If you love somebody, better tell them while they're here 'cause they just may run away from youuuuuu_ ," Anna sang, pointing a finger at the microwave. " _You'll never know quite when well then again it just depends on how long the time is left for youuuuuu._ " Her shoulders got into the groove of it, feet dancing in place. " _I've had the highest mountains, I've had the deepest rivers, you can have it all but life keeps mooooovin'!_ " She bobbed her head and bit her lip, containing a grin. " _I take it in but don't look down! 'Cause I'm on top of the world 'ay! I'm on top of the world, 'ay! Waiting on this for a while now, paying by dues to the—_ AHH!"

As Anna did a little turn, she spun and stopped to find Marshmallow watching her from the doorway. Her scream startled him but he realized that it was _he_ who scared her.

"I'm so sorry!" he gasped, lumbering over to her. "Are you… oh, Anna don't cry!"

The poor roadie was shaking and dramatic tears were falling from her eyes.

"You scared the crap out of me!" Anna whimpered. "How can someone so big be so quiet!?"

"Anna, please don't cry!" he begged, his big paws wiping away the tears he guiltily caused. "I didn't mean to scare you!"

It took her a moment to calm herself down, taking in big gulps of air as her freckled hand clutched her racing heart.

"It's okay, buddy…" She mustered a trembling smile, nodding slowly. "I'm fine."

He helped her to her feet, the microwave beeping with Anna's finished lunch. She went over to it and got it out, the drummer carefully observing her just in case she went into cardiac arrest.

"Nice pipes by the way," he said conversationally, attempting to ease the tension. "Should I expect a sing-off between you and Elsa soon?"

"Uh, thanks," Anna said, growing pink. "But probably not. I'm not that good so I don't sing when people are around… That makes you the first outside of my family to hear me."

"Why? You're actually really good at it," he told her genuinely.

"Marsh, I'm nothing compared to _Elsa_ ," she emphasized.

"Not a lot of people can compare to her," he reminded her. "Elsa's voice is unique. So is yours. It's very pretty."

"I don't appreciate lies," she teased slightly, sitting in the booth. "What are you doing here anyway? Where's everyone else?"

"Oh, right. I'm grabbing my extra pair of practice drumsticks." He headed over to his bunk and pulled out the drawer beneath his bed. "The ones the auditorium had broke too easily."

"Okay. Well, see you soon then," Anna said, waving as he headed out.

"Yeah. Sorry again about the scare!"

* * *

Elsa was the first back in the bus after practice finished, catching Anna reading a book on one of the couches. She made a beeline for her, yanking her out of her seat and pushing her into her bedroom. Anna blinked stupidly around before she realized what had just happened, whirling around to face a very expectant Elsa.

"Why wasn't I the first to hear it?!" Elsa whined, looking highly offended.

Anna was at a loss for words. "I…"

"Marshmallow told me he caught you singing today."

 _Oh… I'm fucked._ "Yeah. It was an accident."

"I didn't know you could sing! Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm not that good!" Anna waved her hands nervously in front of her. "It's really no big thing. I mean, you're amazing. I can hold a tune but that's about it. Really, no big deal."

Elsa stepped closer, face pleading. "I really wanna hear you sing."

Anna laughed hollowly. "Trust me, no you don't."

"I do too! Please? Just once? I'll even sing along with you if that makes you feel more comfortable."

"No offense, Els, but singing alongside the fastest growing singer in history isn't exactly a comfort for me."

"Okay, I understand. I get it."

Elsa looked slightly disappointed. And Anna understood that Elsa was genuinely interested in hearing her sing. It was only fair, after all. Anna hears Elsa sing all the time, though she doesn't have much of a choice since it's her job.

"But I'll sing… just for you," Anna said quietly. "Nobody else."

"Nobody else," Elsa repeated, taking Anna's face between her hands. "How about we do it in your bedroom since that one is pretty sound proof?"

"…Kay…"

"Ooh, I'm actually really excited!" Elsa's face lit up with joy, her grin becoming contagious. "I bet you sound beautiful."

"I guess you'll find out soon enough… Lemme just pick out the song. I'll get back to you in a bit," Anna said, moving around her girlfriend so she could get some privacy.

"Just let me know when you're ready," Elsa said cheerfully, bouncing on the balls of her feet as though waiting to open her Christmas presents.

Anna shut her bedroom door behind her, silently cursing Marshmallow for divulging the fact that he caught her singing. Why couldn't he have just kept it to himself?

She picked up her iPod and clicked through the songs she knew by heart all saved in a playlist for her shower time back home. She kept discarding them, believing they wouldn't satisfy _the_ Elsa.

Finally, she found a song she was confident she knew and could hit all the notes for. She listened to it a couple more times until she felt she had it down. Then she texted for Elsa to come inside.

When Elsa entered, the punk looked guilty.

"Anna, you don't have to do this," Elsa told her. "If it makes you uncomfortable… I'm sorry, I come on too strong sometimes."

"Well, you looked so enthusiastic," Anna said with a smile. "I'll sing for just you. I'm nervous but it's gonna be okay, I think. I picked it out."

"Is a duet? I can do any back-up. I can do some a cappella stuff like beat boxing. You know, like those guys on Glee that got super obnoxious two episodes in." Elsa was speaking rapidly, almost as if she was shocked she was about to hear that there was another singer in her midst.

"Baby, thank you but all your experience is not helping my nerves right now. I have no training or anything like that. This is literally a first and _one_ time thing." Anna fiddled with her hands. "And I'm just singing to you. Just me. To you. I want to do this for you."

The blonde calmed herself, knowing that she wasn't doing Anna any good by being too peppy about this. "Sweetie, just sing. I just happen to have the passion for it and went for a higher goal. Not everyone who can sing does that. I have every bit of confidence in you that you will do perfectly."

"Thanks, Els…" She seemed more at ease hearing Elsa's understanding tone. "I can do if for you."

"What song is it?"

"'Freckles' by Natasha Bedingfield. Sorry, I'm more comfortable singing non-punk songs out loud."

Elsa snickered. "That's perfectly fine. Whatever makes you feel better."

The redhead took in a deep breath and swallowed hard. She looked up from her hands, to Elsa, and back again. Then she opened her mouth and started to sing, her voice filling the room shaking slightly. But as the song progressed, Elsa's mouth started to fall open in absolute wonderment.

Anna was an _amazing_ singer. Like, really, _really_ amazing. It was a voice Elsa would willingly join in with to sing all the world's best songs. A voice she would fall asleep to only to be greeted with good dreams. A voice that was so soothing that if she chose 'Say Something' to sing, Elsa would have broken down into tears.

The song she chose was a perfect song for her, singing about insecurities and how freckles are truly beautiful and how _flaws_ are beautiful. And as she kept singing, she seemed to forget Elsa was there, her voice growing stronger and her face lighting up with each lyric. Going off into her own little world, much like Elsa did when she was on stage in order to control her stage fright.

Unconsciously, Elsa reached over and took Anna's hand in hers, causing Anna's voice to waver. She peered at Elsa with uncertainty but Elsa offered her an encouraging smile, indicating that she wanted her to keep going.

When the song came to an end, teal eyes met icy, searching for approval. Elsa's hand slid to the back of Anna's neck and pulled her in for a kiss.

"You were beautiful," Elsa whispered. "You're a wonderful singer and I hope that isn't the last time I hear you sing."

"You're just saying that," Anna mumbled.

"No. It's true," Elsa said firmly. "I love your voice." She pulled back slightly. "We should sing together."

"Not now," Anna grumbled, shaking her head at Elsa dubiously.

"Of course not right now," Elsa laughed, pressing their foreheads together. "But sometime soon."

"I'm not worthy enough to—"

"Anna, I don't know where this low self-esteem is coming from but dammit you _are_ worthy enough. You're worthy enough to be my roadie, my best friend, my number one fan, and the best fucking girlfriend I've ever had." Elsa kissed her again. "Understand me?"

"I'm trying," Anna said quietly.

She was still stinging from those girls' comments. And she didn't fully believe Elsa's words though she desperately _wanted_ to believe them.

Elsa didn't seem to see through her hesitance and merely smiled. "I'm telling you not to worry so much."

Anna pursed her lips into a pout before burying her face into Elsa's neck.

"Thank you for liking my singing," Anna said.

"I loved it," Elsa assured. "I think you have a stunning talent that you could put to good use. Thank you for singing for me."

"If you really like it, maybe I'll sing for you again…"

"I really wanna sing _with_ you."

"Slow your roll, Els," Anna grinned, pulling away. "One step at a time. It's been forever since I've had an audience outside my family. Merida _never_ heard me sing. Hans made fun of me."

"Hans is a fucking dick-hole," Elsa snarled, "and doesn't know true talent if it was on the edge of his nose. He thought _I_ was untalented."

"You're joking."

"Nope. He doubted our ability but once he saw that Dry Ice was becoming successful, he changed his tune real quick." Elsa caressed her cheek. "I don't think you were brave enough yet to show your true potential. But I wanna help you bring out that old backbone. I have faith in you that you have so many talents that you don't even know about yet."

"I guess I've let my guard down a little," Anna said. "Now that I have you… I feel better about myself, I suppose."

"Hey, I don't want you to change _for_ me," Elsa said sternly. "I'm not here to make you become someone you're not. Anna, I care about the you I met backstage, the you who's a big goofball, and the you that's both determined and awkward yet shy and honest. A mix beyond imagination. A perfect mix. It's what makes you _Anna_."

Anna's heart skipped a few beats and she felt her face warm up like never before. The sincerity of Elsa's words effected her more than other little speeches Elsa had spoken to her before.

"Thank you," Anna said hoarsely.

* * *

For some reason on the morning they were about to leave for Minneapolis with a pit stop in between, Anna was hanging out with Sitron outside the bus while he was enjoying a cigarette. The sky was a pearly grey and the air was cool, signs of rain creeping up on the North-East. There were voices coming from inside the bus, Elsa holding a pleasant conversation with Olaf and Kristoff.

Sitron glanced down at Anna, smiling gently at the roadie. "How you doing, Anna?" he asked.

"Pretty good. How are you?"

"Observant."

"How so?"

He didn't answer right away. He took a long drag before blowing it out slowly, the smoke billowing up into clouds. He wasn't looking directly at her as he started to speak again.

"Did I ever tell you about Beth?" he said.

Anna blinked. "Who?"

"My girlfriend Beth… well, she used to be my girlfriend." He glanced down at his cigarette. "I met her in junior year of high school and she made me so happy. She was my first time, too… we both got a bit drunk from the whiskey in her dad's cabinet but we were sober enough to know what we were doing. It was irresponsible, yeah, but we did it anyway." He took another drag. "We were inseparable. And everybody adored her. She was smart and funny and she just…" A wistful smile. "Anyway, I was completely in love with her."

"You were?" Anna said, noticing the past tense.

"I'm still in love with her. But she broke my heart before I could tell her."

"She left you?"

A grimace. "Sort of." His dark brows furrowed. "She died."

Anna couldn't conceal her gasp so her hands flew to her mouth. "Sitron?" she whispered weakly.

"Car accident," he stated harshly. "She wasn't wearing her seatbelt and she just—" He choked up and crushed his cigarette between his fingers. "I took up smoking after that… and I've hardly masked the pain of knowing that she died before I could confess that I was in love with her." He gave Anna a hard look, seemingly determined to tell her something. "Don't wait, Anna. If you know it and you feel it, it doesn't matter how long it's been. Sure, there are fucking phony relationships that say they're in love when they're not. But you _know_ the feeling. It's so warm and intense… at least it was for me."

He chucked the butt on the ground, grinding it out with the heel of his sneaker. Anna watched before looking up into his tan face.

"I'm afraid I don't understand," she said timidly. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because you've yet to realize," he sighed. "Just don't wait. When it hits you, you'll know. And I have a feeling it'll hit you real soon. Don't be afraid of it when it does. It's okay."

He gave her a smile, patting her on the arm as he returned inside the bus. Anna gazed down at the dying cigarette on the ground, thinking hard about what he could have meant. He was so serious for the first time since Seattle. So honest.

Yet this was so out of place.

She didn't understand...

Without looking into it further but placing it into the back of her mind for later, Anna returned to the bus, ready to get going on another Dry Ice adventure.

* * *

**What could Sitron possibly mean? Well, some of us may have already figured that out. But it's a build up for a super dramatic chapter that I'm so excited to write! That's next time, though haha.**

**So I guess I'll be heading off to write it up for you! And then we get back to the concerts and other stuff after the Wisconsin visit. Any questions you have, feel free to PM me or ask me on tumblr: athpluver. And do follow me if you don't already!**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	25. Still Into You

**I promised there would be some drama and there shall be.**

**Have fun.**

* * *

There was one last stop before Minneapolis so laundry could be done and gas could be refilled. It had been a while since they had the opportunity to wash their clothes and Anna was starting to complain that her jacket was starting to smell ripe. So Elsa proposed the stop, agreeing that she should wash her clothes, too. The boys were a bit apprehensive about it because they thought their clothes smelled just fine... until Elsa shoved a pair of Sitron's boxers in their faces. They all recoiled, holding their noses in disgust and glaring at a rather embarrassed Sitron.

In the laundromat, the group sat like a bunch of broke college kids in their pajamas or underwear in front of the spin cycles. Olaf and Sitron were both shirtless— and showing off their rather nice torsos to the fangirls who had spotted them but were too shy to approach— and in their boxers and socks. Marshmallow was wearing an old T-shirt and a pair of sweats. Elsa was sitting in boxers over her undies— for once— and a black tank top, braiding her hair mindlessly. Anna was beside her on the little bench in short shorts and a camisole, scrolling through her phone.

Kristoff and Sven didn't need to do laundry just yet so they were keeping the area clear of anyone wanting to disturb the group, standing by with their arms crossed and appearing relatively intimidating.

When they got their clean clothes, they shoved all of them in baskets they bought and trekked out to the waiting bus. Oaken was out running more errands and planned to visit with a few old friends he found were living in the small town. Elsa gave him the liberty to go out since he did so much for them already.

So they were to stay the night, Oaken betting he was going to be back late. They didn't mind, all of them taking time to practice and chat and relax until they got back on the road and back on schedule.

"After Minneapolis, aren't we going to Wisconsin?" Olaf wondered from the couch, playing Elsa's 3DS.

"Yeah, we're making a quick stop there," Elsa said. "And you better not be fucking with my Pokémon team."

"I'm not playing Pokémon. I'm playing Zelda. My own profile. Chillax, Els," Olaf chuckled.

"Good. I worked hard leveling up my Glaceon," Elsa mumbled.

"I can't wait to stop by at home," Marshmallow said happily, watching over his brother's shoulder. "Say hey to Mom and Dad."

"Oh, right, we used to live there," Sitron laughed.

"Have you been eating those brownies?" Anna asked cautiously from the booth, raising her eyes from the screen, squinting.

"No, it's just been so long," he replied with a shrug. "I'll get to see my Pops and my lil' bro."

"You were all born in Wisconsin?" Kristoff said conversationally.

"Yup. Born and raised," Olaf confirmed. "It was— awh, fuck Link what the flaming fuck are you doing!?"

"You're using the wrong weapon," Marshmallow observed.

"I am _not_!"

Sven hopped over and squeezed himself in with them. "Lemme see!"

"No! I need to fucking figure this out!" Olaf shrieked.

"You break my 3DS, you're buying me the XL," Elsa warned as she drank her hot chocolate while she sat next to Anna.

As the chaos started on the couch, Anna opened up her Skype and saw that Rapunzel was online. After she hushed everybody, she opened it up and called her cousin with a smile. The brunette picked up at once, grinning into the camera.

"Hey, Punzie!" Anna chimed.

"Hey, girlie!" Rapunzel waved at her.

"I missed your face," Anna laughed.

"And I missed yours!"

"Our faces have been reunited."

"Yeah, through the camera. I can't wait until I see your face live and in person."

"Do you have your exclusive tickets to see my face up close?"

"Mmhm, I have family connections."

"How fancy."

The two burst out laughing. Anna really did miss her cousin to pieces and she was the next person she looked forward to seeing after her mother and father. Even though they've had their video chat interactions, they were nothing compared to their personal ones.

"So, how is everything with the amazingly sexy Elsa?" Rapunzel asked after she recovered from her laughing fit.

This caught Elsa's attention from her beverage, her head slightly tilting to listen in, just barely seeing Rapunzel's face from the screen since it wasn't facing her directly.

"Good god, Rapunzel. You're obsessed with _my girlfriend_ ," Anna emphasized, rolling her eyes at her. "I should have known that you'd freak eventually."

"Hey, I was interested in Elsa and Dry Ice _way_ before you even knew they existed. Need I remind you I took you to the concert." She wiggled her eyebrows. "You should be thanking me."

"Pfft, 'interested'!? You're an overly obsessed creep!" Anna was half teasing but ever since the incident with those girls, her feelings about Elsa were tender in spite of all the talking Elsa had done with her.

"Excuse me, I am not a creep." Rapunzel folded her arms across her chest. "I simply appreciate beauty and talent when I see it. Which you couldn't do for ages."

"I thought Els was sorta hot for a while."

The punk stifled a snort.

"Yeah but it took you a while, didn't it? You saw those hips and _wham_. Head over heels."

"That's not how it happened!"

"Girl, those hips come out of play every damn concert, it had to have happened sometime."

"Hey, Rapunzel!" Elsa scooted closer to Anna and jumped into the conversation, remembering she had something to say to her. "Nice to see you again! Thanks for texting me that picture. I'll be sure to check it out once I'm in Arendelle again."

Anna was alarmed. "Wait, what!? Texting? When the fuck did you get her number?"

"I got it off your phone," she responded calmly. "I figured if something bad happened to you, I can contact a family member."

"Yes, Anna, chill. It's not like she's texting me for a threesome."

"There will be no threesomes to begin with!" Anna snapped, not noticing the attention of the room was now zeroed into the conversation. "Those hips are mine!"

"Oh, Elsa, I just watched that video of you moaning onstage!" Rapunzel ignored her cousin's shout completely. "Hilarious! I swear, you're a damn goddess."

Elsa smirked. "Ha, thank you!"

"Well, I sincerely hope you didn't enjoy her favorite one," Anna spat, her emotions getting the better of her, "because she was mimicking me. You know how she knew that? Because she's _my_ girlfriend."

Again, Rapunzel didn't listen. "Also, what do you use for your hair? It always looks so soft, I just wanna stroke it. Do you purr if it's stroked?"

Elsa grinned awkwardly and in amusement, unsure of what to say. "Uh…"

"Purr!?" Anna's teal eyes narrowed in disgust. "Jesus fucking Christ, Punz! Why would you ask something like that!?"

"Oh my _god,_ I'm fucking right aren't I!?" Rapunzel cackled at Anna's reaction. "I know she could purr like the sex kitten she is."

The punk suppressed another snort into her gloved fist as Anna's lip curled. This was getting too far for Anna's liking. Why Rapunzel was being overly sexual was beyond her but it was stinging. It was reopening that wound of doubt and rubbing more and more salt inside of it. She wanted to shut off the computer but she was shaking too much to do anything.

Elsa didn't seem to notice her girlfriend's posture, smile on Rapunzel as they continued to talk and further Anna's insecurities. If they didn't stop soon, there was going to be a breaking point for Anna, she could feel it. Her temperature was boiling over a thousand degrees with jealousy and anger.

"I'm going to be sick," she managed to spit out. "You're an asshole."

"Oh, stop being so aggressive," Rapunzel chastised. "Elsa, if Anna keeps hounding me like this, you'll protect me won't you?"

"I wouldn't want a fan to get hurt," Elsa chuckled.

"Yay!" Rapunzel applauded. "Thank you, Elsa!"

"Not a problem, babe!"

 _Babe_!? Anna thought savagely.

"Mmm, how about I find a way to thank you?" Her tone became sultry and her eyes hooded, getting another grin out of Elsa.

That did it.

The festering anxiety in Anna was snapped in two and she couldn't take it anymore. Her face clouded over with rage nobody knew she possessed and she exploded.

"OH MY FUCKING GOD!" she roared, startling everyone in the vicinity. "Fucking _have_ each other so she can stay in your bed, _babe_ , since I am _not_ going to fucking be there!" Anna was shouting right at Elsa, who was completely taken aback at the furious shade of red spread across Anna's cheeks.

"Anna, hey, whoa—" Elsa tried but the roadie got to her feet.

"I'm going for a walk. Fuck this. Fuck _you_ ," Anna snarled, storming towards the doorway.

The boys were paralyzed to their seats, unsure of what to do. They were watching it unfold, eyes going from one girl to the other.

"Anna, wait, come back!" Elsa pleaded, scooting out of the booth, Rapunzel still on call. "C'mon, I was just fooling around!"

"Go fucking 'fool around' with her," Anna growled, not turning around to face Elsa. She didn't know if she could look at her without crying. "Fly out there so you can fucking _fool around_. See if I care. This is _exactly_ the shit I was talking about for the past several days." Her voice cracked. "Those fans were fucking right, it's happening and I'm not even back in Arendelle yet."

A deafening silence before Anna sniffled.

"Fuck this," she repeated, storming out of the bus.

"Oh, fuck," Rapunzel gasped.

Elsa finally uprooted herself from her spot and tried to run after Anna but as soon as she exited, the redhead was nowhere to be found. She had most likely made a break for it so she couldn't be found.

Inside, Olaf approached the computer to find a horror-struck Rapunzel on the monitor. She whispered something about having to go and logged off, incredibly ashamed with herself that she took it too far. Elsa stumbled back inside and made it to her bedroom, not looking at any of the boys.

"What… what just happened?" Kristoff said hoarsely.

"I don't know," Olaf said, sinking back into his seat. "That went from zero to sixty super fast."

Sitron frowned and tried calling Anna but it went straight to her voicemail. "Anna," he said into the phone, "please come back. Don't you think you need to talk about this?"

Everyone looked at the bassist. He grimaced, at a loss of what to say. Then he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Think about Beth," he reminded softly.

Olaf blinked and his brows upturned in concern for his friend.

"Remember what I told you. Please get back to me soon," Sitron finished before hanging up.

"Okay, we should all try calling Anna," Marshmallow finalized.

"Agreed," Sven said, whipping out his phone. "Uhm… what's her number?"

* * *

Elsa had been spending the past ten minutes texting Anna and trying to get to her. She was hating herself to the highest degree and she knew why Anna had left. She should have been more considerate to Anna's feelings and completely discussed it until they were out the window.

The stupid teasing wasn't fair to her precious roadie. She didn't blame her for stomping out. She just wished she could have gone after her.

Her phone buzzed and Elsa's heart leapt into her throat, hoping it was Anna finally getting back to her. But it was Rapunzel.

Rapunzel, 'Elsa, I'm really sorry. I've been trying to call her.'

Elsa, 'It's no good. She's not answering my texts either. The guys just left to go look for her but I'm getting worried. I've seriously fucked up.'

Rapunzel: 'No it's not your fault. I took everything way too far. I'm so sorry. I'll do everything I can to make it up to the two of you. I'll keep calling and tying to get in touch with her.'

Elsa didn't respond and only tried calling Anna again, getting nothing but her voicemail. Swearing, Elsa tried again.

And again…

And again.

She kicked over her chair in frustration, pulling at her hair with her free hand.

"You're a fucking moron," Elsa told herself harshly. "See what you've done!?"

* * *

Anna had stopped running thirty minutes ago and was completely ignoring the numerous phone calls and text messages from her friends. She was in no mood to talk to them. She ended up sitting against a cold brick wall, shivering. The sky was cloudy and she had left without her jacket.

The night went from bad to worse in the blink of an eye. She wanted to get inside but she didn't want to move anymore. She also didn't want to be found yet.

"Hey, miss," a voice said, causing Anna to lose her train of thought.

She looked up to find a short, round boy with jet black hair and dark eyes. He was holding a Styrofoam cup of something steaming and Anna quickly wiped away the tears that had fallen from her face.

"Hello," she croaked.

"You look sad," he pointed out.

"Yeah… well, I am. It's not fun," she replied.

"My name is Russell and I don't like when people are sad," he said firmly. He handed her the cup. "I brought you a hot chocolate."

Anna weakly took it from him and offered him a grateful smile. "Thank you, Russell."

He saluted her and Anna took notice of the bright orange and yellow boy scout uniform for the first time.

"Any time, ma'am!" he said before marching off.

Anna took a sip of her beverage and felt it warm her up. It was exactly what she needed to warm herself up. It was a bit weak but it was what she would expect from a foam cup of the stuff. Though she was more grateful that she had a drink at all.

Deciding to check her phone, she unlocked it to find twenty voicemails and fifteen text messages. She didn't bother listening to the missed calls and simply scrolled through the tests with pursed lips.

Rapunzel: 'Please respond to me or Elsa. Or even one of the guys. We're all really worried about you. I'm really sorry about what I've done.'

Elsa: 'Anna, please pick up the phone. We need to talk about this.'

She got another message from Rapunzel just then, switching over to their conversation again.

Rapunzel: 'I'm so, so sorry. I took things way too far. I shouldn't have said any of that. Please go talk to Elsa, she's really worried about you.'

Anna looked at her other messages. Most of them were the same…

Olaf: 'C'mon, kid, it's getting dark and the weather calls for rain. We want you home safe and sound.'

Sitron: 'Anna, come home. Please, kiddo. Elsa's running amok through the town trying to find you.'

Kristoff: 'Hey, Anna, listen I know it was a shitty thing to do but I don't think Elsa meant any of that. She would never hurt you intentionally.'

Sven (or at least who she believed was Sven): 'Anna! Hey, it'll be alright! I'm no good at this romance stuff but I do know that Elsa cares for you.'

Marshmallow: 'Anna, please pick up.'

Anna finished the hot chocolate and tossed it in a waste bin as she kept strolling onward, hugging her arms to her chest. Just as she turned a corner, she felt a fat drop of rain fall on her head.

"Fucking perfect," Anna growled, more rain drops following its brother. "Juuuuust fucking perfect."

She peered blearily through the oncoming shower, her hair sticking to her face. Following a bright neon sign, she found herself in front of a diner. It was the only safe haven there until the storm passed.

So she pushed open the door and requested a table for herself, sitting in the back of the restaurant and huddling against the pleather seats, trying to get warm again. Tenderly she removed her phone from her wet pocket and placed it on the table, shivering like crazy.

Her phone buzzed as a message from Rapunzel popped up. She rolled her eyes but looked at it anyway.

Rapunzel: 'Anna PLEASE I'm begging you, go back and talk to Elsa. She's getting frantic with worry. If you stay out, you will get ill. Please get in touch with one of us _.'_

Deciding that she should simply throw them a bone, she texted Rapunzel a passive aggressive message.

Anna: 'I don't want to talk. I'm fine in this diner. Just leave me alone.'

And that was how she left it, feeling hot tears pool in her eyes and allowed them to fall, hurting all over from Elsa's inconsideration. Anna hated her. Anna hated her cousin… Anna hated _herself_.

"Would you like any… oh," the waitress noticed her crying but didn't press forward with her order. She merely sighed and wrote down on the pad, "One cherry Coke and plate of fries on the house it is. Hold on, honey. We'll fix you up."

The redhead looked up at her waitress in shock. Her hair was a golden blonde and pulled back with a blue ribbon. Her eyes were kind and honest, skin fair. On her name tag was the name "Cinderella."

"Thank you," Anna choked.

"It's no trouble. Just get yourself dry. I'll turn up the heater since it's only a few of us in here." Cinderella winked at her before walking off and placing the order for the kitchens to fill out. "Gus, I want this to be done pronto!"

Anna rubbed beneath her nose and sniffled, bringing her knees up to her chest. Her phone buzzed again but this time is was from Marshmallow.

Marshmallow: 'Hey, Anna, I know you have your phone, please answer it. I'll come get you, I don't care where you are. Just answer the dang thing!'

Anna weakly replied, 'Sorry Marsh, but I really don't want to be found right now, okay? I'm inside, I'm safe, it's fine. I'll come back when I want to…'

His response was, 'The fuck if I'm gonna let you suffer alone. So fine, we won't go back to the bus. But I'm gonna find you and bring your sweater. Be broody for all I care but I don't want you alone.'

Anna contemplated on what to do. She really didn't want to go back but… she didn't want to be alone either. And she doubted that Cinderella would stick around to hear about her problems. So she texted back a confirmation.

'…Okay. But only you. I really don't want to see anyone else right now.'

He quickly answered, 'I promise. Now just text me the name of the place and I'll be right there.'

* * *

True to his word, Marshmallow arrived on his own with Anna's brown jacket. He spied her sipping on her Coke in the back corner and he lumbered over, slipping into the booth with her and wrapping the jacket around her shoulders. She looked up at his tender smile before bursting into tears, burying her face in his chest.

He rubbed her back gently, not saying a word. Just letting her cry. He signaled the waitress over and asked for their biggest hot chocolate with as much whipped cream they could manage. Cinderella nodded in understanding and left to fill out the order.

Marshmallow even answered the texts from the other bandmates on Anna's phone, telling she was fine inside with him and that she wanted to be left alone. They stopped texting after that in respect.

Anna removed her blotchy face from her friend's T-shirt as the hot chocolate arrived. It was richer than the one she had gotten earlier and she was grateful for Cinderella's selflessness. She told Marshmallow to leave a big tip for her before they left.

Exhausted from the events that really ran her energy level into the ground, they left the booth to go pay for the drink upfront, Cinderella insisting that Anna's meal was on the house. They gave her a thirty dollar tip.

Bundled in her jacket, Anna stood beside the drummer as he paid. She pressed herself against him and sighed.

"Thanks a bunch, Marshmallow," she rasped. "You're the best."

He draped a big arm around her shoulders, escorting her out of the diner.

"That's what friends do, kiddo. Will you be good to walk back or do I need to carry you?" He sent her a concerned frown. "I'm afraid you're gonna fall asleep and face plant into a puddle."

"Please carry me, buddy. And when we get back to the bus, don't let anyone into my room if I fall asleep before we get back… please." She heaved a yawn and rubbed her eyes. "It would mean a lot."

"You got it. Piggyback all the way to the bus." He crouched low so she could clamber onto his back, her legs tucked between his arms. He lifted her up with ease and started walking back through the drizzle in the night. "Don't worry, I'll guard your room all night if I have to."

Anna rested the side of her head on his back, eyes lazily looking out into the empty street. Neon signs were starting to dim down as shops closed. One or two pedestrians rushed through the rain with their coats over their heads as cover. A stray dog skirted into an alleyway.

She closed her eyes, begging for sleep to overtake her. Marshmallow walked at an easy pace so he wouldn't rouse her, finally hearing her soft snores.

As they turned a corner on one block, Elsa staggered right by the diner. Her face was pale and she was incredibly upset with herself. She didn't take the same route her girlfriend and drummer took to get there, having no intentions on returning home. She hadn't even seen them.

She backed up into a brick wall with an awning overhead to keep the rain away and she slid to the ground.

Then she took out her phone and contemplated on texting Anna one last time before she returned and got the inevitable break-up news. Elsa thought over her words and began to type.

* * *

When Marshmallow entered the bus, only Olaf, Sitron, and Kristoff were awake. Sven had crashed a few minutes before they arrived, sleeping in his bunk. The three other boys rose to their feet but Marsh glared at them all and made them sit back down.

"Don't make loud noises," he growled. "Don't go in her room. Let her sleep this night away, alright?"

He received understanding nods in return. Satisfied, he opened Anna's room and managed to wake her up so she could situate herself. She thanked him with a kiss on the cheek and sent him back into the front room where he would serve as her body guard for the night.

She didn't feel like changing into her pajamas. It would be too much effort and she didn't have it in her. So she kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed, placing her phone on the bedside table.

When sleep didn't wash over her like she hoped it would, she tried focusing on relaxing thoughts. But her thoughts zeroed in on how Elsa held her each night they spent together. How feather soft her kisses were. And how her scarred hands would leave goosebumps on her skin. Always lulling her into a deep sleep, greeted with the sweetest dreams she ever had.

Then she remembered what Sitron had told her… about Beth. And about their love that was torn away from them. How he turned to smoking to numb the pain though it didn't do much good. And how it was _too late_ for him to tell her that he loved her.

He loved her…

And the words sounded right to Anna when she paired them up with her and Elsa's names. Side by side with the word love in between. And switched was just as sweet.

But Elsa didn't love her.

Elsa wasn't that type of girl. She would rather be aloof and mysterious with her true feelings and simply tease until she was satisfied… at least, that's what those girls meant back in North Dakota. And maybe they were right.

She picked up her phone and went to the photos. Oftentimes when she couldn't sleep she looked through her old pictures to distract herself. She tapped on the last selfie she took with Rapunzel right before the Dry Ice concert. Then she scrolled to the right and found that the next few pictures were candids of the band in the bus and backstage. Then it was the selfie Sitron took for his contact information. Following that was Olaf's selfie. Then Marshmallow's.

And then the first selfie she and Elsa had taken together.

Before their kiss, before their bond. Before all of this.

A few more candids and some friendly selfies with her and Olaf followed…

Then there was nothing but her and Elsa. Pictures the punk took of Anna or vice versa. The two together or the two kissing or making silly faces and any cliché couples did to fill their phone memory.

Several candids did break the constant fill of Elsa and Anna's relationship but Anna took more pictures of her and Elsa than she had done with Hans or Merida in the short period of time they were together.

Because… because Anna was _happy_. Simply happy. And it was all Elsa's doing.

Her phone buzzed and dragged her train of thought off the tracks.

It was a text from Elsa.

'Last one, I promise. We all know I'm a fuck up. And I know you hate me now because I'm sincerely the biggest moron to walk this earth. I have to be if I managed to hurt the feelings of the most precious and perfect and caring girl in the world. I don't know what to do anymore… but I'm not gonna come back to the bus until I've suffered enough. I'm sorry, Anna. You deserve so much better than me. I'm sorry.'

Anna could hear the amount of guilt in the text as she read it. She felt her throat bob with her own guilt for making Elsa so angry with herself. Neither of them deserved this.

She decided to do something about this. She had to see Elsa. Had to talk to her.

Her reply was: 'I don't hate you… Where are you?'

Elsa's response was almost immediate. 'The hell if I know. I got lost about two hours ago. Just stay in the bus, Anna. You're better off there with people who actually care enough about you to realize it before they fuck up.'

Anna was _not_ satisfied with that answer. Pursing her lips, she got out of bed and put her shoes back on. She then poked her head out of the door to find Marshmallow snoozing against the sliver of wall that separated her room from Elsa's. The other boys had fallen asleep in their bunks, too, all following the drummer's example.

Quietly she stepped over the massive man before tiptoeing out of the bus. Oaken wasn't back yet so she could escape without being questioned. She zipped up her jacket halfway and put on her hood to prevent her hair from getting wetter than it already was.

Her fingers flew over her phone, texting Elsa so she could find her.

'So, I'm walking down past the Starbucks ten minutes down from the bus. Which way did you go? Use Google Maps and tell me where you are. I have a pretty good knowledge of this place from earlier…'

It took Elsa a good five minutes to reply. 'Why are you insisting on finding me!? Go back to the bus!'

Anna rolled her eyes and swiftly texted back, 'You can either do as I say and tell me where you are, or stay sulking and let me continue walking around in the rain and dark alone.'

The punk's next text made Anna groan at the amount of dramatics that were radiating from the eight words.

'What if I don't want to be found?'

'Then I'll just keep searching until I find you. I'm looking whether you want me to or not.' She sent that but realized how harsh it seemed. So she added, 'Baby, please. I need to see you.'

The pause between that and Elsa's next text seemed to Anna as though she was contemplating on telling her the location. Finally, Elsa caved and told her.

'Fine. The street sign I'm closest to says Cherry Blvd. Otherwise, I don't know.'

'I was at a diner on that street earlier. Stay right there and don't move.'

'I don't really have a choice…'

Anna pocketed her phone and picked her way through the streets. They were pitch black save for the tiny chinks of light falling on the sidewalks from apartments or late-night shops. Other than that, it was hard to navigate properly. She peered into the darkness and took out her phone again once she recognized where she was.

'I'm a block away from Cherry Blvd. This place is freaking dark, Jesus Christ. Are there no street lamps around here or what?' She tried for humor but she didn't know if Elsa was having it. 'I need you to tell me when you can see me, Elsa, or maybe walk towards me or something… I'm near a 7/11. Do you know which direction to go?'

'Make a right at the 7/11. I should be near the deli.'

Anna did so and immediately spotted the platinum blonde hair of her girlfriend. Her back was to her and she looked as though she was hunched over, gloved hands deep in her pockets.

The redhead wandered up to her and put her phone away, desperately wanting to see her face.

"Turn around, Elsa," she commanded softly.

She did so, showing her pale cheeks and bleary eyes. "Alright." Elsa rubbed a finger under her nose. "You've found me. What now?"

"I need you to stop beating yourself up about this and just listen to me," Anna said forcefully. It was _her_ time and she was going to use it. She really didn't know where she was going to go with it but dammit Elsa was going to have to listen good. "I'm sorry I ran off and I'm sorry for being so god damn insecure. It's just I've always been second best, runner up, never quite good enough, you know?" She swallowed and grasped her left elbow with her right hand. "And then you come along and suddenly, for some reason beyond my comprehension, I'm special. I catch your eye. You, the Elsa, Queen of the god damn world who could have anyone she wanted…

"And you pick me. I've never thought I was anything worth having before you showed me what it feels like to feel cared about… And I've never cared about someone as much as I care about you. Elsa, I'm so scared of losing you. You're everything I've never wanted and so much that I didn't realize I needed. Now that I've had you, I'm terrified of what life would be without you. But you could have anyone, and I'm just Anna…" She trailed off, unsure of how to continue.

Elsa had started shaking her head halfway through Anna's speech, wanting to speak up. Now she had that chance, stepping closer to Anna. She had to make her understand, to hear her side.

"Don't you dare apologize for that, Anna. This was not your fault. Not in any way. I took teasing too far and I'm the one to blame for this." Elsa hugged her arms to her chest, still extraordinarily guilty. "I can't possibly stand hurting you. It isn't fair. You felt insecure because I wasn't being considerate to your feelings, which was stupid especially after those rotten girls made you feel this way. But I swear it will never happen again.

"So what if you feel second best? I don't see you like that at all. You _are_ special. You don't conform. It's crazy because your surface self confidence is something I've always wanted to have. But believe me, you are never second best. You're my one and only. You're right, I could have any girl I wanted. But I want you. Just you. We both have our flaws but I know that's just what makes us who we are. It's okay. I don't know what I'd do without you. You've helped me— helped _all_ of us in the band— just by being you.

"I'm crazy about you. You make me laugh and smile unlike anyone else. You give me reason to keep going and do my best. I want to hold you every night, kiss you everywhere, and make that beautiful smile appear and every freckle pop if it take the rest of my life in order to do so. God, Anna. You're nothing _but_ special to me. I don't see anyone else but you in my future. If all else fails, I know that you're the one person I can count on. I really just… well…

"I _love_ you."

A ringing silence followed and Anna's tense, anxious shoulders fell slowly. Eyes widened and mouth fell open. Elsa was blushing shyly, completely and utterly vulnerable emotionally. An expression Anna had never seen her wear.

"You… you love me?" Anna choked, tears filling her eyes. "Elsa, oh my god… Elsa…" She struggled for words. "Jesus, this whole thing was so fucking stupid…. Oh my god." She was shaking, tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes. Elsa moved forward and rested a hand on her shoulder, unsure of what to do. The touch sent electric currents through Anna's body and she managed to keep speaking. "The only reason I got so upset is because I'm completely in love with you and I was scared that I'd fallen too fast. I love you, too… So much."

The smile that ignited Elsa's face could have lit up the entire United States. Perhaps, the whole world. She rushed forward and gave Anna a huge kiss, putting her apology into actions and receiving unconditional love and forgiveness in return, Anna pressing herself as close to Elsa as possible.

"Stop your crying, silliness," Elsa cooed after they parted, trying her best to wipe away the tears that fell from teal eyes.

"You say that like there aren't tears streaming down your face right now, too," Anna countered. "It might be dark but I can see them."

And there were. There were big, fat, joyful tears rolling down Elsa's cheeks. She smiled goofily and kissed her again.

"C'mon, let's get back to the bus and get out of this rain before we catch a cold. Change into some warm clothes and kiss this craziness away."

"Okay, babe… Sounds perfect to me."

Deciding that Anna had enough walking for one night, Elsa swept her off her feet and carried her bridal style back to the bus. Anna rested her head on Elsa's shoulder, closing her eyes and focusing on her breathing patterns.

Sitron had been right. She would know it when the time came. And after all the drama, Anna was glad that it was said. Even more pleased that it came from Elsa.

They entered the bus quietly, Oaken finally in his driver's seat asleep, and snuck by a still snoring Marshmallow, giggling together as they closed the door. They dressed in pajamas— Anna wearing Elsa's shirt and boxers— and slipped underneath the blankets as the rain picked up outside.

Elsa pressed a kiss to Anna's lips, mumbling out three sweet words that never sounded so right to her before.

"I love you," she told her, believing it with every fiber of her being.

"I love you, too," Anna responded automatically.

They sounded even sweeter coming from her. Elsa kissed her again. And again. And again. Kisses continued, Elsa wrapping her arms around her and not letting her go until they both could hardly keep their eyes open.

* * *

**That was my proudest chapter. And it's all thanks my friend Luna who RPs as Anna, who came up with Anna's little speech and helped collaborate with the other RP-ers to make this chapter possible.**

**Feedback is really appreciated for this one specifically. I've never had such joy in writing a chapter before.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	26. Shut Up and Dance

"Are you sure that we didn't leave without them?" Marshmallow panicked.

"Dude, just check Elsa's bedroom," Sitron told him again.

"Why would Anna be in Elsa's bedroom!?" Marshmallow was close to tears. "She was so angry with her! What if they broke up and Anna stayed behind? What if Elsa quit? Oh god, they broke up, didn't they!?"

"Ever think they might have made up while we were asleep?" Sven reasoned.

"Why in the world would we even leave our lead singer and her girlfriend behind anyway?" Kristoff said incredulously.

The three band members turned their heads to stare at the blonde boy. He shrugged and gestured to Elsa's bedroom, trying to get them to see for themselves.

"Oh, c'mon! That's silly to think that they're _not_ in the only room we haven't checked out of the four we have in this bus," Kristoff said rationally.

"He's got a point," Olaf mumbled.

Sitron turned around and started to head over to the back room. "Well, then let's go and prove Kristoff and I—"

But before they could go and check, Elsa came walking out of her bedroom, closing the door behind her so Anna wouldn't be woken up by any noise. She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, glancing up at all five boys hanging out in the front room who were staring at her with the most peculiar expressions. Pale brows furrowed and she waved a gloved hand warily.

"Good morning?" she said with uncertainty.

"Morning!" Olaf chirped. "How are things between you and the kid?"

"Fine," Elsa said, stifling a yawn. "She's still sleeping."

"Did you guys fix everything?" Marshmallow asked anxiously.

Elsa sent them a tired smile, reaching the kitchenette to pour herself some coffee in the burner. "Yeah, we did. Everything is fine. It was just a rough night, you know?"

"We were all there. In a panic," Sitron reminded her. "So, yes, we do know."

"What happened exactly?" Olaf inquired as Elsa leaned her bottom against the counter, sipping her coffee. "When we all passed out, I mean. Did Anna leave or did you come back and talk?"

"Anna left and found me," Elsa responded.

Everyone waited for her to continue, watching her drink her cup of joe in silence as if nothing had happened the night before. The guitarist leaned forward and waved his hand lazily in front of his chest.

" _And_?" he encouraged, trying to get the full story out of her.

"And we talked and we came back," Elsa finished lamely.

"This is so pointless," Sitron sighed, sitting on one of the couches. "You're too tired to think straight."

"You expect Elsa to think straight?" Olaf quipped.

The punk snorted into her coffee as Marshmallow, still a bit shaken up, choked on a laugh, Olaf grinning at Sitron's extended middle finger. Sven and Kristoff— not entirely in on their humor— exchanged awkward smiles.

In the midst of the laughing, the door to Elsa's room opened and Anna came wobbling inside, still half asleep. Everyone fell silent as the redhead passed the bunks and stumbled over to Elsa. The blonde set her coffee down just in time to catch Anna in a warm embrace so the poor roadie wouldn't collapse onto the floor.

"Mmmorning," Anna groaned into Elsa's neck.

The group all gave their own versions of a morning greeting, Elsa pressing a kiss into Anna's hair.

"How'd you sleep?" she cooed.

"Like a rock," Anna hummed.

"I bet," Sven laughed.

"You must be exhausted from all the drama last night," Olaf said.

"Yeah, a bit," Anna said. "But everything's okay now."

"We're glad," Sitron said. "The last thing we need is the two of you bitching at each other again. Only this time it would be a thousand times worse as exes."

"You scared me!" Marshmallow said, yanking Anna away from Elsa and pulling her into a giant hug. Elsa's brows shot into her hair and Anna yelped, feeling large, trunk like arms clasp around her. "I thought we accidentally left you behind 'cause you weren't in your room when I went to check on you!"

"It's al-alright, buddy!" Anna gasped for air.

"Where was your logic to check _my_ room?" Elsa deadpanned.

"Thank you!" Kristoff and Sitron said, exasperated.

"Well, we didn't think you made up so fast!" Olaf defended, pouting and folding his arms across his chest.

"But we did," Anna said as Marshmallow finally set her down after she received a thousand apologies from him. "Aaaaand." She grinned at Elsa impishly. "Elsa was _very_ emotional last night."

Elsa sent her an unimpressed look before rolling her eyes and picking up her coffee.

"If this is about sex, we don't want to know," Sitron droned.

"No, no," Anna said, turning to him. "Nothing about sex— which reminds me," she briefly turned to her girlfriend, "you owe me make up sex, Elsa."

"Done and done, babe," Elsa shrugged.

"But no, it wasn't about sex at all!" Anna said, bounding over to Sitron. "I guess you can say Beth told me first… before it was too late."

Sitron furrowed his brows for a half a second before coming to the thrilling realization of the meaning behind her metaphor. He shook his head in disbelief.

"She didn't," he gasped.

"She did," Anna said shyly. "And I said it right back."

"You're serious?"

"I wouldn't joke about this."

"Who is Beth?" Kristoff asked but went ignored.

Sitron slowly got to his feet and made his way over to Elsa, who was staring at him strangely. As he leaned closer, she leaned back, squinting at him. His expression was one of wonderment, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

A smile started to crawl across his lips and he punched Elsa hard in the shoulder. She cried out and winced, grimacing at him.

"What the flying fuck was that for!?" she yelled.

"You're an idiot," he told her. "A stupid, love-struck idiot and I'm proud of you."

Elsa blinked at him before shaking her head. "You have a funny way of showing affection."

"You're one to talk."

" _What_ is going on here!?" Olaf wailed.

"Elsa told me she loved me," Anna announced, making the blonde grin bashfully.

"And Anna told me she loved me right back," Elsa said as she gave Anna a dazzling smile.

Silence for a moment before it dawned on Olaf. He gawked at the pair of them before running to Anna and lifting her up in the air, swinging her around in his arms. Marshmallow started tearing up, patting Elsa on the arm in congratulations. Kristoff and Sven were applauding and cheering loudly.

"You guys, it's not like we graduated college," Anna said, yet she couldn't contain her grin.

"Or got engaged," Elsa added.

"Or something like that," Anna agreed, finally being set down on the ground by the guitarist. "So dramatic, all of you."

"Well, we can't help it!" Olaf argued. "You guys are in love and we're happy for you!"

"Just don't flaunt it by having sex on the couch," Sitron snickered, back to his sarcastic self.

"You're fucking hilarious," Elsa droned, taking a seat in the booth, Anna sliding in to sit next to her. "Now, can we please get to the tour in peace?"

"Wait, what about Wisconsin?" Anna asked her.

"That's not until next week, babe," Elsa replied placidly, taking another sip of her coffee. "This week we have a few concerts in Minneapolis and then we'll be going down to Milwaukee."

"Oh, right… how many nights in Minneapolis again?" Anna said, stealing Elsa's cup and drinking from it.

Olaf answered her, "Five! And I propose we all go out and celebrate lavishly."

"Celebrate what?" Kristoff said.

"Them!" Olaf jabbed a finger at the two girls. "Celebrate their true love!"

"No way," Elsa said sternly.

The guitarist frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm not going public with Anna until the tour ends and we return to civilian life." Elsa leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't want Anna's face plastered all over the media and for her to be defined as 'Elsa's girlfriend' because she's more than that. And we don't want rumors to start about my love life, either. The last thing I want is to be pegged as a Taylor Swift type and have all these stupid lies spread about who I am and that any girl I hang out with is my next hot thing." She scowled. "It's degrading and the one bullshit thing that comes with being popular." She started to mime taking pictures with a camera. "'Elsa, over here! Elsa, is it true you're dating what's-her-face!?' Hey, Elsa, did you write that one song about them?'"

"I have to agree with Elsa," Anna said. "I'm not too keen on the idea of being thought of as just Elsa's girlfriend."

"Well, we should do something," Olaf urged. "All together and hang out or whatever."

"What do you think we should do, then?" Sitron asked.

"We _could_ just hang out in the hotel room and play games," Marshmallow suggested.

"Get hammered," Sitron added.

Everyone fell silent and exchanged looks, having a silent agreement that it sounded like the perfect way to celebrate the declaration of love between Elsa and Anna.

* * *

Something about being backstage of a concert was still magical to Anna. Seeing how the shows ran from behind the scenes and it continued to baffle her that she was a part of how they came together. She spent her afternoon pushing equipment across the stage and running errands for Kristoff or Sven. Picked up lunch for the band, had a quick make-up/make-out session with Elsa in her dressing room, and then returned to work.

Although the backstage stuff was fun and glamorous, Anna didn't really get to sit out in the audience and _watch_ the shows. She saw them from the wings or on monitors in the hallways of the theatre or stadium— wherever the band happened to be playing. She even watched them from the catwalks above the stage, eyes following the top of Elsa's head as she danced away on stage.

She decided to ask Oaken if it was okay for her to go out and watch the concert from the audience and he said she should be fine if she showed her band ID to the ushers. And when she flashed it at them, they stepped aside and let her in.

Anna blended in with the crowd and picked her way to the pit, standing front row with a bunch of Dry Ice fanatics who were just waiting for the show to start.

She raised her eyes to the stage and her roadie mind starting calling off the cues and she was reminded that she knew exactly how the show ticked for this specific concert. The opening band had yet to go on and their special drums and guitars were on stage waiting for them. She waited patiently for them, recalling the first time she stood in a theatre to see Dry Ice.

It was so crowded and loud, just like this concert was, although Rapunzel wasn't talking her ear off this time. She caught bits and pieces of conversations discussing the opening act or how hot Elsa was or something about one of the other band members. Somebody asked their friend if she thought Olaf was gay and Anna had to suppress a bark of laughter.

The opening band came and went, a cover band for Panic! At the Disco and they weren't that bad. But Anna had snuck in here for the main event and that was what she was anticipating the most. For the first time in a long time, she was watching their show as a spectator rather than an employee.

Suddenly the theatre went dark and everyone started to scream, unlike back in Arendelle when everyone fell silent in awe. Anna cheered along with them, clapping her hands and hollering Elsa's name in a chant, bringing those around her along and they started chanting, too.

Figures rushed on stage and Sitron started to thump out a pounding beat, quickly followed by Marshmallow slamming on his drums, and finally Olaf shredding on his guitar. Anna knew exactly where to look for Elsa's entrance, zeroing her attention on stage-right until there was the unmistakable thud of combat boots amplified by the sound equipment.

The cheering grew and drowned the boots out but it didn't matter. Elsa was center stage and the lights illumined her.

Anna felt her heart beat fast at the sight of her girlfriend right above her on stage. Teal eyes were gazing up at her just like everyone else in the front row of the pit but she knew she was the one whose breath was taken away the most.

Elsa looked _powerful_.

So powerful, as though she could wipe out the entire room with one lift of her well groomed brows. As though she could silence the world with a glare. As though she could make everyone fall to their knees and Anna _knew_ these people would gladly do so for their queen.

After everything that happened between the two of them with Elsa's vulnerability in front of Anna and all the emotions she showed, Anna forgot just how damn incredibly different Elsa was on stage. How she looked like the leader of an army of mighty warriors and was ready to take down the enemy at any time no matter the cost.

The first song was _Platinum Blonde Life_ by No Doubt, a song that Anna knew Elsa loved and adored. And during the length of the song, her hips were working like crazy and Anna was so glad that she knew the power of those things. She felt a twinge of arousal spike in her abdomen but fought through it, trying to focus on the concert itself and would take care of it some other time.

With each new song, Anna swayed more and more along with the beat, calling out each band member's name to give them equal support. During a guitar solo, she knew she was the loudest person fan-girling over Olaf, save for a few people up in the nosebleed seats.

Just like every concert, Elsa took a moment to address the audience.

"Day one in this lovely city and I'm already loving the energy here," she said, earning a roar of approval. "How many of you are seeing us twice this week?" The building was practically shaking with the response they gave Elsa. She grinned. "That's excellent to hear. I hope I've done a good job for all of you but I wouldn't be here, of course, without this amazing team behind me." She gestured to her bandmates as the crowd cheered.

Anna was pleased Elsa made sure to include the boys. Olaf was smiling bashfully and rubbing the back of his neck, Sitron was thrusting his fists in the air and getting some love thrown his way, and Marshmallow was waving kindly as if he was in the Macy's parade in New York.

"And there's also the team backstage, although some of them seemed to have vanished…" Elsa glanced stage-left where Anna usually frequented her duties.

The redhead grinned and simply stared at Elsa dead on, waiting for her to get the chills that someone was staring intensely at her. And Elsa continued to talk for a while about the tour and how she would be performing in Wisconsin for two nights.

Then she paused.

"Elsa?" Olaf said into his mic, noticing her hesitance. "You okay?"

Icy eyes slid onto Anna and stared right back. The younger girl winked and Elsa smirked before turning to Olaf.

"Yeah, buddy, I'm great." Elsa stole another quick glance at Anna and then said, directly to her but it looked as though she was talking to the entire audience, "What do you want to hear next?"

"An unrehearsed number?" Anna said, though her voice was drowned out by the screams to requests by audience members. Elsa, however, was able to read her lips and gave her the shadow of a nod. "Uh… _Poker Face_?" It was the first song that popped into her head and Elsa raised her eyes to the ceiling, nodding her head and contemplating the idea.

"Okay," Elsa said. "Boys, we're doing _Poker Face_. Requested by a rather attractive ginger in the audience."

Understanding who she was talking about, they all dove into the song without a second thought, Sven cranking up the effects and improvising beautifully. Elsa paid special attention to where she was thrusting her hips, giving Anna quite the show but she was laughing more than responding with lusty eyes. Elsa was being absolutely goofy just for her and Anna loved that even though she was in a sea of fans, all that mattered was the two of them. Even Elsa's dancing was ridiculous and fun to watch, Anna mimicking her moves so it seemed like they were dancing together.

Anna was filled with such joy to know that underneath the stoic, enticing, sexual rockstar was a sensitive, dorky, adorable girl that loved her unconditionally. Loved _her._ Nobody else.

By the end of the show, Anna was sticky with sweat from being packed in a pit like sardines in a can but she didn't care. She was screaming her voice away as the band gave a final bow, her hands raw from clapping so hard.

She had to sneak into the pit more often.

Able to maneuver herself backstage with ease, Anna returned to the band's dressing room. Elsa swept her off her feet and gave her a deep kiss, smiling against Anna's lips.

"You sneak," she snickered, setting Anna down.

"Yup. You guys were great tonight," Anna said, kissing Elsa's cheek. "Thanks for taking my request, by the way. Sorry that it was the only thing I could come up with on the spot."

"No, that was fun!" Olaf chimed. "It was sorta of like déjà vu with you out in the audience again."

"Do that more often, actually," Elsa said seriously. "For some reason, having you out there makes it less frightening for me."

Anna furrowed her brows. "How?"

"Remember when we first met and I told you that you were like a good luck charm but I didn't know exactly why?" Elsa said, guiding Anna to sit down with her on the couch.

"Yeah…?"

"Well, I think I know why now. Because I can put on a show for _you_. Not for everyone else. I wanna make _you_ scream my name— and not in the sexual way, Sitron, shut your mouth." Behind her, Sitron was just about to make a comment but he clamped up, sending Marshmallow a surprised look. "I want to please you and you're my only audience member when I know you're out there. It's easier to have you out there than in the wings."

"Huh…" Anna pursed her lips. "That actually sort of makes sense… and it's also incredibly flattering."

"What about when Kristoff needs help with the set?" Marshmallow pointed out.

Elsa grimaced. "Yeah, I suppose there's that, too."

"Well, she can do it every other show," Sitron suggested. "So during some she's working as a roadie and others she's your life support in the audience."

"Maybe I should have been doing that since day one," Anna said with a light chuckle.

"But I didn't know I was in love with you yet," Elsa cooed, kissing her tenderly.

"Mm… you're a cutie," Anna giggled.

Sitron and Olaf made gagging noises as Marshmallow smiled awkwardly.

"It's worse!" Olaf cried dramatically, falling to his knees. "Them being in love is far worse than simply dating!"

"God help us!" Sitron teased, joining Olaf on the floor and clasping his hands in prayer.

"I hate you all," Elsa growled.

* * *

Just as they all agreed, drinking was in order to celebrate their declaration of love no matter how "gag-inducing" it was for the rest of the band. They made their way into Elsa and Anna's hotel room and broke into the mini bar along with several packs of beer they bought at a liquor store.

It was well into the early hours of morning and everyone was still awake, playing a combination of a drinking game and strip-poker. So far, Elsa was down to her bra but still had her pants and underwear on, Anna was on the verge of losing her shirt but and her socks and shoes had been discarded, Olaf just lost his shoes and right sock, Sitron was seething in his boxer shorts, Marshmallow was in T-shirt and jeans, Kristoff mirrored Elsa in amount of articles lost, and Sven already lost miserably, sulking in an arm chair with a towel around his waist and a disgruntled blush on his face.

And each time someone lost, they had to not only remove their clothes but take a large swig of their drink. They were all joyfully tipsy, talking loudly and enjoying themselves.

"I call your bluff," Olaf said to Anna.

"I'm not bluffing!" slurred the redhead.

"Then lemme see them cards, Christiansen."

Anna pursed her lips and threw down her pair of aces. Olaf merely smirked and revealed he had a full house.

"Awh, fucking shit!" Anna whined.

"Take it off!" Elsa cheered as her girlfriend removed her T-shirt, exposing her tanned and freckled stomach and black bra. "Take a swig, babe." The blonde lifted Anna's beer and Anna took it, gulping down the last of her drink.

"Kristoff, toss me another," Anna said. "And screw you, Olaf."

"Love you, too," Olaf grinned, shuffling the cards. "But not as much as Elsa does."

"You're damn right about that," Elsa said, pressing a lingering kiss to Anna's cheek, the punk already a few beers deep.

"Control yourself, silly," Anna giggled. "Play the game! Olaf, stop cheating with those cards and pass them out."

"I'm not cheating!" protested the guitarist.

"Plaaaay," Anna urged.

"Wait, no, everyone go away," Elsa mumbled. "I wanna have some private time with my muse."

"Els, no, you're drunk," Sitron snickered. "Have your make up sex when you're sober so you can remember yourself crying about how much you hurt— _ow!_ " Marshmallow had thrown an empty beer can at his forehead. "Fuck, why am I getting shit thrown at me!?"

"Because you're a jerk," Marshmallow chuckled.

"Okay, Elsa, you should go rest yourself," Anna said calmly. "You have another show to do tomorrow."

The blonde pouted but stumbled to her feet anyway, collapsing on the bed on her back. Sven was given his clothes back and the boys helped Anna clean up their mess. They left to their rooms and Anna climbed on top of the bed beside a now snoozing Elsa, wrapping her arm around her waist and cuddling into her.

* * *

For the rest of concerts in the city, Anna would switch from being in the audience to being back stage. Elsa would focus on Anna whenever she needed to, watching the redhead dance to the music and make silly faces at the lead singer. The blonde would get a burst of energy and found it easier to be calmed from Anna when she was in the pit rather than glancing at her as she stood in the wings.

The boys also found Anna's presence in the audience fun. She would mime playing a guitar as Olaf performed a solo and he would grin at her, trying to play his best in order to get her to chant his name. Anna found that giving Sitron a series glare but playing an air bass at him made it hard for him to keep a straight face. She even pretended to play the drums and Marshmallow caught her wild movements and upped his game, smiling to himself.

She was the perfect little entertainer for them all and Anna was glad she was finally serving her original purpose of ensuring Elsa did her best on stage.

When the concerts finished, things were piled back into the bus and they were on the road for Wisconsin. Anna and Elsa spent a lot of time in Elsa's room, the blonde trying to figure out what she would say to her mother. She was getting irritable fast the closer they got to Milwaukee and Anna knew they had to steer off topic.

So their make up sex ensued for the rest of the evening.

They arrived in Milwaukee in the late afternoon, Elsa sitting awkwardly in the booth with her McDonald's lunch spread in front of her, untouched. Anna sat next to her and rubbed her back soothingly.

"You're gonna be fine," she told her.

"You realize this is probably gonna backfire on me," Elsa mumbled.

"Then I take full responsibility for that since I'm the one who encouraged you to talk to her in the first place."

"Mm…"

"I'm gonna be with you every step of the way." Anna curled her fingers around Elsa's hand and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry about it."

"I _am_ worrying about it," Elsa said hotly. "I haven't spoken to my mother since I was eighteen. What am I even supposed to say to her when I knock on the door?"

"Just say hello," Anna suggested.

Elsa sent her a deadpan look. "Hello? Really? That's your master plan?"

"It's easy to say. You go from there."

The boys in the bus were keeping their distance from the conversation and were planning their own visits to their families when they get into town. Olaf and Marshmallow were going to see their parents and maybe visit their grandparents if they had time. Sitron was going to return to his Uncle's farm where his mother and father were currently spending the summer. Kristoff and Sven didn't have families in Wisconsin, of course, so they were discussing tourists attractions they could visit while the rest of the group goes off on their own.

"What if she slams the door in my face?" Elsa said quietly, looking into Anna's face nervously.

"Then she's a bitch," Anna said flatly. "She's not giving you a chance to explain yourself nor is she trying to rectify her mistakes."

Elsa fell silent and reached for her fries, munching on them thoughtfully instead. Anna propped her feet up on the booth across from them and rubbed Elsa's leg in show of her support.

Impending doom struck Elsa in the chest as Oaken announced they were about to reach Milwaukee city limits. While the boys cheered in excitement, Elsa sunk into her seat and covered her face with her gloved hands.

The closer they got, the paler Elsa became. Oaken pulled into a lone parking lot of a super store and parked. Elsa watched as her friends left the bus, wishing her luck and heading off to see their families, Kristoff and Sven off to go see some sights. Oaken was going to hang back until they returned to the bus to watch it before he went to visit his own family.

"You ready?" Anna asked.

"No."

"Do you wanna back out now?"

"No."

Anna scooted out of the booth, Elsa close behind her. The blonde grabbed her black jacket, popped the collar, and rolled up the sleeves. She took in a deep breath and started to head out, Anna rushing to catch up, pulling on her Converse as she went.

"Is it walking distance?" Anna said.

"It's not too far from here," Elsa mumbled, reaching behind her for Anna's hand.

The redhead grabbed it quickly, getting yanked over to step in time with Elsa even though she hadn't finished tying her shoes.

"Wait, Elsa, slow down," Anna pleaded.

"I can't."

"Why not!?"

"Because if I do, I'm gonna turn around and never go back."

Anna shut her mouth after that, understanding that Elsa wasn't going to be talked down now that she was in the zone. She was hating what she was doing but she knew herself enough to push through it. And with Anna on her side, Elsa didn't feel so alone.

Eventually, they were able to walk at an easy pace that didn't make Anna trip over herself the entire time. Elsa's grip on Anna's hand was preventing circulation from passing through her fingers but Anna didn't dare say anything. She kept glancing at the determined expression on her girlfriend's face, yet she could see terror in her icy eyes.

They reached a small neighborhood and Elsa swallowed anxiously, shaking in her combat boots.

"I've got you," Anna whispered. "C'mon, take me there."

Elsa nodded softly and started to tug Anna along. She sized up her old neighborhood and pursed her lips.

"It hasn't changed… all these years it hasn't changed a bit," Elsa hummed thoughtfully. "I bet the Jacksons still live next door."

"It's a rather quaint area," Anna said with a wry smile. "The grass is all dried up, though."

Elsa smirked at the yellowing lawns. "Yeah, it always happened during the summer. We let our grass go dry until the fall."

"At least you conserve some water."

A chuckle, "No, we were all just lazy. At least, this neighborhood is."

They walked for a little while longer until they came to a white-paneled house with a light blue door. The grass, like the others, was dying in the summer heat but the rose bushes lining the front porch were neat, trimmed, and green, little buds struggling to sprout.

"This is it, huh?" Anna said, trying to cut through the thick tension hanging in the air.

"Yeah," Elsa said darkly. "This is where I grew up."

Anna would have liked to take a step back and appreciate the nostalgic meaning behind Elsa's words, explore where her girlfriend grew up and learned the way of the world. But knowing the pain it brought her to be here and face her toughest demon drowned away the idea.

She had spent such a long time staring at the house that she didn't realize Elsa had let go of her hand and started walking up the path. She shook her head to snap herself out of it and caught up with Elsa as the punk slowly made her way up the porch steps.

Elsa took a deep breath and let her shoulders relax. Then, slowly, she raised a fist and knocked.

* * *

**Cliffhanger! You'll find out what happens next time. Plenty of family drama ;)  
**

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**See you next time!**


	27. Papa Was a Rolling Stone

**I left you with a cliffhanger and now your wait shall be over… in a bit. Haha, I added some mushy fluff in the beginning. So enjoy that before the drama.**

* * *

It was after their make up sex, Elsa and Anna lying beneath the warm sheets in the darkness of the room. The bus was slowly puttering along the highway, the streetlamps illuminating the room for mere seconds every time they passed by, leaking through the shut blinds. Anna was curled up against Elsa, pressing her nose into the crook of her neck. Elsa was lying on her back, holding Anna tightly to her and letting her scars gently graze Anna's freckled shoulder, causing pleasant goosebumps to appear along her skin. Breathing was even, feet rubbing against one another, and sometimes one made the occasional shift in their position or sniffled absentmindedly, filling the silence of the room.

"Elsa?" Anna whispered, her breath ghosting across Elsa's bare chest.

"Hm?" was the soft reply.

"Have you ever been this physical in a relationship before? Even before you got the scars?"

"I've had sex with girls—"

"That's not my question."

A pause.

"No," Elsa finally admitted, opening her eyes and gazing down at Anna's peaceful face. She wasn't looking at Elsa, her own eyes closed and her body relaxed, as if they were having a casual conversation about the weather.

"Why not? Because by the way you act, it seems like you'd have been in the pants of many gals."

Elsa rolled her eyes. "How pleasant."

"You know what I mean." Anna couldn't help but to grin.

The blonde heaved out a sigh and tightened her grip on her lover. "It's because… I…" She struggled to find the right words. "I'm terrified of being vulnerable. Of giving myself to someone unconditionally because maybe they won't receive me as I am."

"Why was it easy with me?"

"You're the first person who has never…" Elsa drifted off.

Anna finally opened her eyes and lifted her head from Elsa's shoulder, hovering slightly above her, supporting herself on her elbow.

"Never what?" she urged.

"Never purposely made me feel like an outcast. Or alone. Or pathetic. Or idiotic. There have been people who have hurt me intentionally and some never rectify their mistakes. Yes, we fought once before but I was more _afraid_ than hurt…" She pursed her lips, trying to think. "Afraid, yeah. Afraid that you didn't want me, afraid you finally saw me for who I am and wanted nothing to do with it. But you ended up putting my fears to rest. You made—and continue to make—me feel whole. And that's all that matters now.

"What drew me in was that backbone, the attitude you gave me; and what kept me close was what was underneath: a sweet, caring, and adorable girl." Elsa swallowed and blushed lightly. "And you know… you're the first to see this raw, literally naked side of me and never once questioned it with malice. Only curiosity. You only accept and I'm not afraid anymore. I'm not afraid of giving all of myself to you."

Anna stared at her, her own face flushed with flattery and affection. She could feel a few tears prick at the back of her eyes but she fought them away, simply giving Elsa a smile.

"That's the reason for so much sex?" she asked goofily.

Elsa laughed. "I guess so. I dunno, sex has never been this good before. It feels so right."

"It does?"

"I can't explain it. I just… I've never felt this way before."

"Me neither."

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. It was always hard to connect sexually with Merida at first because I was still hurting over Hans but, y'know, that's another story entirely. Even when we got into a stride, it was kinda rough and tumble; playful but good." She kissed Elsa. "But you're special. It's not just sex, it's more than that and I'm feeling this incredible spark that I've never felt with anyone else. You've always been, and will continue to be, different."

"A good different," Elsa winked as she ran a hand through Anna's loose, copper locks.

"Yes, an extremely good different," Anna agreed.

Elsa brought Anna's head down for another long kiss before mumbling on her lips, "I love you, kid."

Anna bumped her nose against Elsa's. "I love you, too, punk."

* * *

Elsa stepped back from the door, shaking against her will. Anna was standing hesitantly behind her, eyes going from the door to Elsa and back again. There was no response and Anna wondered if Elsa should knock once more.

The punk seemed to think the same thing because she started forward but stopped short when the sound of a door being unlocked was heard on the other side. She leapt back and almost bumped into Anna. The ginger was absolutely astonished at the childish fear Elsa was displaying, wide-eyed and breathing heavy. She kept clenching and unclenching her fists, swallowing hard.

The door opened and a pale face poked out into the summer heat. Anna almost believed she was looking at a replica of Elsa's face but with darker hair and eyes. But there was still the same button nose and perfectly sculpted face. But it was wrinkled with time, some grey in the brown hair, obviously coming in after being dyed a while ago. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, bangs falling along her forehead.

She seemed to realize who was coming to visit and she pulled the door back all the way, revealing a purple blouse and jeans on her person.

"Elsa?" the woman whispered hoarsely.

"Hello, Mother," Elsa said stiffly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came to see you," Elsa replied. "I have a stop in town and I wanted to talk to you."

The woman's eyes shifted from her daughter to the girl standing behind her, observing the scene carefully.

"And who is this with you?" she wondered, though her voice was genuinely curious instead of sharp and bitter, like Anna had expected it to be.

"This is Anna," Elsa said, grateful for a reason to grab her girlfriend's hand. "She's my girlfriend. Anna, this is my mother, Idunn."

"It's lovely to meet you," Anna said, sticking her free hand out.

Idunn took it. "It's a pleasure to meet you, as well." She noticed they were still standing on the porch in the heat. "Oh, come in. Do come in, I'll get you some lemonade."

Elsa was rather surprised at her mother. So far, she hadn't yelled or shot Elsa a sneer… no, she seemed like a completely normal housewife and mother that she never was when Elsa was growing up. Almost as if her ironclad grip on the house had loosened some over the years Elsa was gone.

"Take a seat in the parlor, Elsa, I'll be right there," Idunn said after she shut the door, shuffling into the kitchen.

As Elsa guided Anna through the front room, she took in her childhood home. Nothing had changed in the slightest. All the furniture was still in the same place, the floors still made of polished wood and the walls still painted that off-white color. She didn't know what she had expected. And there was still that looming feeling that this wasn't really home and it disturbed her.

Meanwhile, Anna was drawn to the pictures on the walls and tables they passed. She caught glimpses of little Elsa with the tiniest braid, grinning cheekily at the camera in the cutest blue dress she had ever seen, a photo of Elsa and her mom in what looked like a happier time, and a woman who was most likely Elsa's grandmother, holding a baby Elsa. She wanted to stare at them and appreciate them, to wonder how the adorable, seemingly innocent Elsa became the swearing, sarcastic, snide punk beside her.

They reached a small sitting room and they sank on the plush, floral couch. The grandfather clock ticked off each passing second, Elsa remembering how she would sit in this very parlor and have tea with her grandmother as she ranted about everything she disliked about the country and how Elsa should behave herself. The tea was always bitter and weak, just like her grandmother, she would think.

Anna felt Elsa's hand grip hers and Anna returned the squeeze, showing she wasn't going anywhere. This whole scenario unsettled her and she knew it.

Idunn returned with a tray topped with a pitcher of lemonade, three glasses, and a plate of cookies, setting it down on the coffee table in front of the couple. She then poured them each a glass before sitting in an armchair, watching Elsa intently.

Anna, being a polite guest, took the lemonade and sipped it but Elsa left it untouched.

"Mother, where's Grandma?" Elsa asked, noting the lack of noise upstairs where her grandmother would be making something with her sewing machine.

"Oh, her arthritis is getting the best of her and it was hard for her to move up and down those stairs," Idunn answered. "She's in a ground level home for the elderly not too far from here and actually enjoys it. She's getting more social that way." She sipped her lemonade, sparing Anna a glance, before returning her gaze to Elsa. "This is certainly a nice surprise, although I wished you could have dressed more appropriately for the occasion."

 _There it is_ , Elsa thought darkly, her brow furrowing just enough to show her disdain. _There's the judgmental mother I know._

Anna had almost choked on her drink when she heard that come from Idunn. Elsa wasn't as inappropriate as she sometimes dressed. In fact, what she was wearing was one of her more "conservative" outfits. Her black jacket with the sleeves rolled up, of course, with a dark blue shirt that covered her stomach like any normal shirt would do, rather than the ones that expose her belly button. Her jeans weren't even ripped and she was wearing her combat boots, but they were at least shined up and clean.

However, Elsa didn't comment on it. She didn't force a smile or anything, simply plowing right to more of her point. "I needed to talk to you about some really important things."

"Such as?" Idunn said, brows raising.

"Like why you thought it was okay to stifle my creativity and individuality the day I turned twelve, refusing the pay for singing and music lessons when it was clearly my dream?"

Anna gaped at Elsa's incredible bluntness. Even Idunn was highly taken aback at the tone Elsa was shooting at her. She recovered smoothly and cleared her throat, pursing her lips at her daughter in an uncanny way Anna was used to seeing upon Elsa's face.

"Surely, Elsa, you have some muddled memories—"

"Muddled memories, you call it?" Elsa scoffed, finally letting go of Anna's hand to fold her arms across her chest, leaning back in her seat. "That's not true and you know it. You tried to take away my favorite CD."

"They were corrupting you."

"No. They were inspiring me."

Idunn set down her lemonade and Anna wearily set hers down too, unsure if she should be indulging in her host's treats now that she was in a bad mood.

"Inspiring you to become a rebellious child," Idunn said plainly. "I told Adgar that giving you that CD would lead to nothing but bad news."

"Dad did me the greatest service by sending me that CD."

Anna could tell Elsa's temper was rising but she didn't know if it was her place to calm her down. She had to wait and see if she should swoop in and put a stop to it. After all, Elsa needed this. She needed all of this. To get her emotions out in the open and tell her mother how much she damaged her.

"And a great disservice to me and your grandmother."

"Did it ever occur to you that, maybe, just maybe, if you went along with it that I would be a happier person growing up? You two stifled me to the fullest extent anytime something from Dad arrived in my life. And rock music was one of those things."

"I knew his dream of making it big would rub off on you." Idunn sounded more distraught and tired rather than furious, rubbing her temple with her fingers. "When it failed, he couldn't hold down a proper job and if he was around, he would have wanted you to get to the big leagues of music."

"And guess what, Mother?" Elsa sent her one of her famous smirks, this one oozing of smugness. "I fucking did it, didn't I?"

Idunn's face turned white at the sound of her daughter swearing in front of her but didn't say anything about it.

This was the first Anna was hearing about Elsa's father wanting to become a famous musician. However, she had a feeling Elsa had gotten the talent from someone in her family and Elsa's drive to become the next big thing made perfect sense to her now. She wanted to do her father proud, not just herself or her band or her fans. The motivation was admirable in Anna's eyes, almost touching if she knew the man himself well enough.

"It just got so out of hand for you," Idunn sighed. "Tattoos and piercings. Where did I go wrong, Elsa?"

"You didn't. These were _my_ choices and I don't regret them whatsoever," Elsa said stubbornly. "But I want to know _why_ you thought it was okay, though. Why you decided that preventing me from chasing my dreams would end up helping me in the future?"

"It's not an easy career, Elsa. If your father could barely make it off the ground, how was I supposed to know how you'd end up? I wanted you to have a well rounded future and job."

"But you never let me _try_." Elsa's voice sounded desperate then, as if she was trying to understand what her mother's idea of good parenting was.

Idunn sniffed and looked away from Elsa, her lip quivering.

"Elsa, it's not something that I can admit to but, yes, I was wrong in the end. I need you to understand that it's not something I ever imagined you doing and I didn't want your father's failure to rub off on you. I was trying to protect you from the hardships that this life could give you."

"You drove me away," Elsa reminded her. "I ran away because I couldn't take it anymore, I rebelled because I wanted acceptance. I took lessons in secret to fuel my desires to learn about music. I paid for contacts on my own, paid for all my piercings and tattoos. I left you behind years ago after you did the same when you said no to my itch to be taught how to play the guitar."

Anna could have sworn she saw tears dancing in Idunn's eyes and didn't blame her. Elsa was really laying it into her but, then again, she did deserve it all. Elsa was making some good points and Idunn knew it. Elsa's voice was still strained, choked back. She wasn't very pleased with the approach she was going with but she had to find the rhyme and reason to her upbringing. She had never had the courage to confront Idunn about it before.

But Anna got it out of her and there she was.

The punk reached for the last glass of lemonade and took a long sip.

"I listen to your song sometimes," Idunn admitted quietly.

Elsa froze; even Anna was stunned.

"It comes on the radio a lot and I…" The first, happy, reminiscent smile crosses Idunn's face. "I listen to it. You have such a lovely voice, Elsa. You always have since you were little." Her smile melts into a frown. "Those lyrics, though… I can't help but wonder—?"

"Yes, they're about my adolescent years," Elsa confirmed. "I'm letting go of my past, focusing on only what's ahead."

Idunn nodded. "I assumed so, yes. The conceal, don't feel—"

"That BS grandmother taught me when I was feeling romantically inclined towards girls, yeah, I put that in."

Finally, Anna spoke. "Wait, what?"

Idunn and Elsa turn their attention to Anna, both looking as though they were surprised she was still there.

"Oh, I never told you that? My grandmother was the bigot in my family, Mother not so much," Elsa told her. "She was actually more loose with the sexual exploration, which is odd for her."

Idunn sent her a reproachful look. "I did something right."

"I suppose so."

Idunn observed Elsa for a moment and spied Anna's hand slide into hers. But that wasn't what really caught her eye. It was the fact that her daughter was wearing those black leather gloves she saw as Elsa packed her things and left to go live with her friend Olaf when she returned from her four month long absence. They were on every poster, any TV ad, talked about on the radio, and documented in the gossip tabloids.

"Why do you still wear those?" Idunn asked.

Elsa didn't need any specifics. Without a word, she let go of Anna's hand once again and removed one glove, revealing the scarred palm to her mother. Idunn gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

"I burned them," Elsa said dryly. "They're permanent scars."

She felt nothing in showing them to her mother. Her mother didn't truly deserve to see her mistake but she was _still_ Elsa's family whether she liked it or not.

"Oh, Elsa…" Idunn whispered.

"It's alright, though." The blonde shrugged as she put the glove back on. "No big deal."

 _That's bullshit_ , Anna thought, _but perhaps she doesn't want her mother to think that they are._

"Elsa, I..." Idunn sighed and closed her eyes. "I know you have many frustrations with me and after a couple of years looking back, I can understand why you would hold such grudges. It wasn't the best way to show it but I did everything for you out of love. I love and care for you, Elsa, darling. And even if this isn't the path I wanted you to go down, I'm proud of you. Happy you're successful." A single tear rolled down her aging face.

Elsa got to her feet and crossed over, sitting in the armchair next to her. She leaned across the space between them and took her hand.

"Mom, for my sake and yours, I'll forgive you," Elsa said softly. "I don't think I can forget, but I can't go on living with being angry and resentful towards you. It's toxic for me and for any future relationship we might have. I just wish you could have trusted my judgement years ago."

Idunn covered her mouth with her hand again, though this time to hold back sobs. She nodded weakly and squeezed Elsa's hand, looking up into her daughter's smiling face. She could still see the little girl in her smooth features and there was still a strong hope in those blue irises. If Idunn did anything right, it was pushing and shoving her daughter into a direction she didn't intend on pushing her in. Yet there Elsa was, the hometown hero with various victories.

She reached up and caressed Elsa's cheek. "I'm very lucky to receive your forgiveness. I don't deserve it."

"Maybe not. But I've learned to let it go." Elsa grinned and winked, making Idunn hiccup a laugh.

"Very clever."

Anna felt as though she was intruding on a very intimate, private family moment. So she politely looked away and drank her lemonade without a word.

"Mother, I'd like to know one more thing," Elsa went on.

"Oh?" Idunn replied, blinking at her.

"Where's Dad?"

Idunn fell silent and bit her lip, glancing away from her. Elsa felt her stomach twist painfully and she looked at her mother to Anna and back again. The atmosphere that was once happy and tension free became heavy and frightening. Anna was ready to rise to her feet, seeing the fear in Elsa's eyes.

"Where is he?" Elsa asked, her voice deadly quiet.

* * *

The room was whiter than white and smelled of sterile medical equipment. In the bed to the far left was a pale man with greying, strawberry blonde hair and a thin mustache above his lips. He was hooked up to many different machines but looked alert as he watched the small, colorless television bolted into the wall. He had bags under his eyes and looked so tired, as if he was ready to slip away into nothingness at any moment.

"Dad?" Elsa croaked from the doorway, Idunn and Anna standing behind her.

Adgar turned his head and felt a smile come to his face at once. He almost couldn't believe his eyes as they burned with tears of joy.

"Elsa, my god… is it really you?" he said weakly.

His daughter whom he hadn't seen in fourteen years was suddenly here to come visit. His heart swelled with love and pride and held out a hand, beckoning her over.

"Yes, it is," Elsa whispered, rushing over and pulling up a chair, sitting beside his bed. She immediately removed her gloves, shoved them in her pocket, and grasped his hand. She didn't want anything to come between them, not after such a long time of separation. "Oh my god, Dad. Mom said it's cancer…"

"Some rather aggressive prostate cancer they couldn't catch in time. It's mostly my fault for not getting a check up, isn't it?" He was speaking light and happy, as if he were suffering from a mere head cold. "But, fuck, you're _here_. I wasn't expecting such a wonderful visitor." His eyes examined every single detail of her face and picked out what had changed and what was still developing. "You've grown up, of course. You're so beautiful, just like I knew you'd become. I missed you."

Elsa fought back tears. "I missed you, too."

Adgar reached up with as much strength as he could to brush some white gold hair out of her face. He chuckled softly and gave her the tiniest smirk, one that mirrored her own to a T.

"I still love this hair of yours. Skipped a few generations but I'm glad it landed with you," he told her.

His eyes shifted over to the two other women lingering in the doorway. His ex-wife was there, along with someone he had never seen before.

"Who's your friend, Elsa?" he asked, inclining his head at Anna.

Elsa looked up at her girlfriend as she hovered nearby, unsure if she was allowed to come near Elsa's father. The blonde jerked her head and Anna took it as permission to come forth. She grabbed another chair and sat beside Elsa, smiling at Adgar kindly.

"My name is Anna," she introduced. "I'm dating your daughter."

Adgar grinned. "Is that so. My name is Adgar, by the way. Elsa, you have such a beautiful taste in women."

Anna flushed and Elsa managed a smile.

"She's a keeper," Elsa said, winking at Anna. "I love her very much."

"That's lovely to hear," Adgar said, eyes crinkling as he continued to beam.

Idunn took her cue to leave, going to the waiting room to give them privacy. If she owed Elsa anything else besides an explanation to her actions, it was time with her father. Elsa drew in a shuddering breath and let her thumbs caress the back of her father's knuckles.

"So, Mom tells me you were living with her for a while?" Elsa recalled.

"Oh, yes. Well, after she left me and took you along with her, I tried my very hardest to find work. I dabbled in some shitty garage bands and held down a few small, part time jobs. I ended up staying at your grandfather's old studio apartment with a crappy little job waiting tables at a rundown diner trying to make ends meet." He heaved a sigh. "It wasn't enough to win your mother back and I knew it. When I was diagnosed with stage M1 prostate cancer at my last physical, one I could actually afford at the time, I knew I had to rake all my money for some form of treatment so I asked your mother if I could stay in the guest room.

"And she was kind enough to take me in. Sooner than I thought I had to be taken to the hospital for an extended stay for experimental treatments and the like. Next thing I know, I'm stuck here… Sterile walls, no fun allowed, the doctors are humorless jackasses. Shit, even my roommates are buzzkills. Yet, I'm here waiting to fucking die just like everyone else on this floor."

"Don't say that," Elsa begged, her voice cracking. "You're not going to die. How much do the treatments cost? I can afford it. I'll pay for all of it. Honestly, it wouldn't even dent my flow of income."

"Thank you, sweetie, but there isn't much you can do now, I'm afraid."

Elsa bit her lip as it quivered and she was only vaguely aware of the comforting hand of Anna resting on her shoulder.

"I listen to your song almost every day, you know," Adgar informed her, trying to get the conversation back to a happier topic. "It's the most perfect song I've ever heard. Did you write it all on your own?"

"Yes, I did."

"It's my favorite song in the world. I'm actually banned from playing it more than twice a day now because it annoys my roommates. I told you, they're buzzkills." His eyes cast over to the other two people in the room, both asleep on heavy pain medication. "But I sometimes sneak a third play on a low volume when they're knocked out like this."

Elsa giggled, eyes shining. "I'm glad you like it."

"I _love_ it. I'm so proud of you. You made it to a place I only dreamed of. Elsa, my god, you're a rockstar."

"You inspired me, you know. That No Doubt CD was what opened my eyes to rock music and I've done everything in my power to achieve my dream."

"And you did it." He squeezed her hand. "You fucking _did_ it, kid."

Anna was overwhelmed with understanding of the origin of Elsa's attitude, the meaning behind Elsa's motivation finally hitting her hard. The pet-names, the swearing, the smirk, the musical talent. Elsa may have gotten most of her looks from her mother but her father was the sole owner of Elsa's personality. And though he wasn't around, he rubbed off on her without needing to be. Her bond to her father was strong, incredibly strong, and Anna had to hold in her own tears.

She felt a small dose of homesickness fall upon her, thanking her lucky stars that she had her father in her life. Thanking them that she didn't have to see him like this. She knew that as soon as they returned to the bus, she would call him up at once and tell him how much she loved him.

"What happened to your hands, Elsa?" Adgar asked, aware of the rough palms he was holding.

"Oh…" Elsa removed her hands to show him. "I burned them on dry ice."

"God damn, that must have hurt," he said with a small chuckle, brows raising.

"Yeah, they did," she said dryly. "But they're alright now. I wear the gloves to hide them."

"Don't hide them. Scars are fucking badass!"

Elsa laughed, though it was a bit raspy. "Not exactly good for my image, though. I've said a lot of things that can get me in trouble if I show these bad boys off."

"Well, hopefully one day you can go on without wearing those gloves. There's a lot of buzz about them, I know that much."

"Everyone wants to know what's underneath them, that's for sure."

"I only wish I could see your concerts," Adgar sighed.

"I'm doing one in a couple of days! I can ask our techie to livestream it somehow," Elsa said quickly, excitedly. "Do you have a tablet? Are you even allowed ones up here?"

"No, no." He shook his head heavily. "That won't do it justice."

Elsa frowned. "There has to be some way."

There was a moment of silence, the sick man thinking very hard. Elsa searched his face, hoping to read it easily but it was proving to be very difficult. She was about to ask what was wrong when Adgar turned suddenly to Anna.

"Miss Anna, I have a serious question for you," he said sternly, his expression serious.

The redhead blinked, a bit intimidated. "O-oh?"

"Do you love my Elsa?"

Relaxing at the question, "Of course I do."

"And do you swear to take care of her?"

"Yessir."

He nodded. "Good… good that makes me feel so much better. I can tell the two of you have so much to look forward to. And I'm very glad you have met you, Anna. Elsa," he looked at his daughter, "I want you to always do your best. And even if you fail, promise me to try and try again. Do you promise?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Cross your heart?"

Elsa crossed her heart. "I promise."

"Excellent. Now, can you sing for me?"

"What?"

"Please? If I can't be there for a concert, I'd love to hear you sing live. Whatever song you like. And I want you to remember that I love you very much."

"I love you, too, Dad." Elsa cleared her throat and searched her mental playlist for songs she could sing to her father. When she found it, she opened her mouth and started to sing a slower version of _Don't Speak_ by No Doubt, a song she discovered later in her deep infatuation with them. Her voice was shaky and raspy but she pressed on, giving her father the best live performance she could at that point in time.

Adgar closed his eyes and smiled pleasantly to the sound of Elsa's voice. His head bobbed a little to the beat, a finger tapping on the top of her hand.

To Elsa's great surprise, Anna was humming the song quietly in the background and she turned to look at Anna. She nodded, encouraging her to sing along and Anna actually did so, blending her voice with Elsa's in perfect harmony for the chorus. Elsa's voice steadied and she was eternally grateful to Anna for conquering her fear of public singing for that moment. It meant a lot to her and she knew Anna was very aware of it.

The duet only made Adgar smile bigger.

However, when they were almost finished with the song, Elsa realized that her father's monitors were making odd noises. Noises that scared Elsa. Loud, obnoxious sounds of alert and needed to be dealt with at once. She and Anna stopped singing and Elsa shot to her feet.

"Something's wrong… Dad!" Elsa shouted. "Dad! Wake up!"

Adgar didn't stir.

"Fuck!" She rushed to the door and shouted for a doctor, Anna trying to wake Adgar up by calling his name.

Two doctors ran inside and Anna stepped back quickly. Although Elsa tried to get to her father, tears running down her face. One doctor asked her calmly to leave but Elsa was refusing. Anna actually had to drag her girlfriend bodily from the room, trying to tell her everything was going to be alright, but Elsa was nearly screaming.

A nurse escorted them to an empty waiting room, though Elsa was putting up quite the fight against Anna's arms. Once the door shut behind the nurse—who was hurrying to help the doctors with Adgar—Elsa completely broke down. She felt weak and defeated and furious all at once, overwhelmed with emotion. She fell to her knees and bawled into her hands.

Anna was helpless. She had never seen Elsa cry like that before. A few times Elsa has cried in front of Anna, sure, but never like that.

She was hysterical.

"We didn't have enough time!" Elsa wailed. "I just saw him after fourteen years and he… he… he could _die_!"

"Elsa, they're going to do what they can," Anna cooed, getting down on her knees beside her and grabbing her shoulders gently. "We don't know what could happen. Maybe this has happened before?"

"It isn't fair!" Elsa cried, whirling around and embracing Anna, sobbing into her shoulder. "It isn't fair!"

"I know, I know," Anna whispered, rocking her back and forth, realizing reason wasn't going to help Elsa. "I know it isn't, Els."

She kept crying into Anna's shoulder, punching the ground with her ungloved hands, her knuckles starting to split open. She was swearing and begging some holy deity to let her father live. Anna only caught a few of Elsa's words, the rest sounding like garbled gibberish.

The redhead continued to rock her, whispering soothing words until Elsa was hiccuping messily, hugging Anna so tight that she was pretty sure she'd have a few bruises from the amount of strength she was using.

Somehow she managed to coax Elsa onto one of the couches and held her there. The punk still mumbled out hopes, let loose a few thick sniffles, and coughed heavily, her voice scratchy from shouting.

Her hands were aching and her knuckles were covered in speckles of dry blood so she had covered them with her gloves again. The only thing keeping her in the here and now was the feeling of Anna stroking her hair gently and the sound of her breathing in the otherwise silent and empty waiting room.

Idunn arrived two hours later with a pale face and three bottles of water. They continued to sit without saying a word.

Elsa felt very much like her eight-year-old self again. The impending doom of her family falling apart taking hold on her heart and soul and clenching it hard. She hardly had any time with her father and the very possible possibility of him dying was something she could not and _would_ not accept.

He _had_ to be okay.

He was not allowed to die, she felt. Not like this. Not after all these years. He should have died from stage diving or a moshpit or something rock-oriented. Doing what he loved. Not stupid, heartbreaking cancer.

Night was crawling forth and the three of them were dozing off. Anna was trying to stay awake, texting Olaf and keeping him and the guys posted with what was going on. They all sent their hopes and wishes for Adgar's recovery. It was almost midnight when one of the doctors who had rushed in to assist Adgar entered the room. Elsa jolted awake, quickly followed by Anna and Idunn.

"Well?" Elsa croaked.

"Miss Elsa Andersen, I presume? Adgar Andersen's daughter?" he said quietly.

"Yes, that's me," Elsa nodded.

This wasn't how Anna intended on finding out Elsa's last name. This was the last possible scenario she had ever expected. But there it was out in the open. And Elsa was left with her civilian identity in front of her. No rockstar title, no amazing hip action, no snide, seductive smirk.

The agonizing fear on her face was enough to send Anna into her own world of terror. This was a side of Elsa she didn't know could ever exist. Stage fright was one thing but this was pure, unadulterated fear that didn't match the Elsa she knew.

She was back to Wisconsin's Elsa Andersen. Small town girl in what was the heaviest situation of her life.

"What happened to my dad?" Elsa demanded, though not angrily, rising to her feet slowly. Her lip quivered. "What happened?"

The doctor merely bowed his head and Elsa had all the information she needed.

Anna and Idunn had to run to keep up with Elsa after she bolted from the room. The doctor didn't stop them at all, simply following briskly to the destination. But Elsa hadn't entered the room yet when they reached her. She was standing in the doorway, unable to bring herself to cross over the threshold. Chest was heaving, face stoney, staring at the figure lying in her father's bed, as though it was sleeping.

"If it's any consolation, Miss Andersen, he kept talking about you when he was under," the doctor told her gently. "About how proud he was of you. He wished for me to tell you that."

Elsa swallowed hard and rasped, "Thank you."

The blonde nodded stiffly and turned away from the room, shoving her hands into her pockets and walked away, shoulders hunched to her ears, tears flowing freely down her face. Idunn stayed behind to speak with the doctor as Anna jogged over to meet up with Elsa, striding beside her. She draped an arm around her shoulders and guided her weeping girlfriend back to the bus.

Once they returned, Elsa requested for everyone to leave her alone. She locked herself in her room and let her back hit the door, sliding down until she was sitting with her legs pulled up to her chest, returning to her coping mechanism from her childhood.

She let her head drop onto her arms and she stared down at the carpet beneath her. She couldn't cry anymore. She didn't know how.

Elsa Andersen reverted back to her childish form and sat, staring blankly. Her mind was quiet and still, her heart unable to comprehend the loss of her father for a second time.

But this time, it was forever.

This time, he was never going to come back.

* * *

**Honestly, I wasn't too proud of the ending but I always intended on Elsa's father to die. So this wasn't some random, "oh let me destroy Elsa" moment. It was in the drafts since day one and I liked it and I wanted this to be a big Elsa breaking point. She's had a lot of hardships in this story but this was one of her lower moments I'm gonna surround a lot of the rest of the story around.**

**So...**

**Yeah.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	28. Hold My Heart

**Enjoy our poor Elsa.**

* * *

The sound of a dial tone reached her ears. She waited, sniffling, for him to pick up the phone. Anna knew he was probably sleeping but she didn't care. Elsa was still crying in her room and everyone else had gone to bed long after they had returned to the bus. All she wanted was to hear his voice as she sat in the darkness on her own. Something to distract her, to calm her down.

Finally, he picked up the phone.

"Anna?"

"Hi, Dad."

"What's wrong?" David was sleepy but alert, hoping that his little girl was okay. He was about ready to jump in his car and drive non-stop to her location if he needed to, sitting up slowly. "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah… no. Uhm." Anna was whispering so she wouldn't wake the boys who were about five feet away from her. "I just… I miss you and, well, I wanted to tell you I love you a lot."

He could tell there was something wrong. "What happened, sweet-pea?"

"We're in Elsa's hometown, you see, and we visited her father in the hospital. He died yesterday and…" She swallowed. "And I really just…"

"I see, I understand," he said gently, calming down from his father-to-the-rescue mode and sinking back into the bed.

Hearing her father's voice soothed Anna tenfold. Even though he was miles and miles away, knowing he was alive and well and in her life filled her with relief. Though, there was a bit of guilt that settled in Anna's gut with the reminder that she still had a father. Elsa was locked away in the room weeping over the death of hers.

"How is she?" David asked.

"Not good," Anna replied. "She's really broken up. It was the first time they saw each other in fourteen years and one can only imagine the sort of pain she's going through."

"That has to be incredibly rough."

"Yeah. She's locked herself in her bedroom. I think she finally passed out from crying but I can't be entirely sure."

"And where are you?"

"I'm sitting against her door. I'm worried about her."

"Anna, you should get some rest yourself."

"I might drift off eventually. But I just wanted to call you first."

A voice in the background of her father's line, "Who is it, dear?"

"It's Anna," David told the voice.

"Tell Mom I said hello," Anna said, feeling herself smile.

"She says hello," David told Faye.

"Oh, hello, Anna," replied a very sleepy Faye.

"I'm sorry I woke you both. I'll let you get back to bed," Anna said hurriedly.

"Hey, hey, no worries. It's quite alright. We love and miss you. Can't wait to see you soon."

"Yeah, same here, Dad."

"Goodnight, sweet-pea."

"G'night."

* * *

Elsa had lost track of time. She didn't know if she had been sitting against her door for seconds, minutes, or hours. She would go as far as to believing she had been glued in that same spot for at least a day.

All she knew was she had run out of tears ages ago. She couldn't cry anymore. She just sat there, staring between her legs at the floor beneath her. Elsa felt empty yet weighed down. She wanted the pain inside her to either go away or to kill her. She wanted it to stop, no matter what. She was still shaking, though the shivers were coming out in hard shudders.

On the other side of the door sat Anna, who was feeling helpless. Elsa had locked herself in her room and Anna had no way to get inside and console her. She had stayed all night long after she called her father and hardly slept, watching the boys snooze away from her spot in front of Elsa's door. But even though she ached with sleep, Anna wasn't going to leave and find comfort in her bed. Not if Elsa was still hurting.

A full day had passed since they returned from the hospital and Elsa hadn't emerged. Not for food or drink, ignoring Anna's gentle words of encouragement to open the door and get something to eat. She kept telling Elsa nobody would talk to her and she didn't have to talk to them. But Elsa stubbornly remained in her room.

It was worrying Anna. Elsa _had_ to eat. She couldn't starve herself after all. She had a concert that weekend and if she continued to lock herself up, she was going to miss all the rehearsals and possibly cancel the show on the fans from her birthplace, ready to see their hometown hero on stage.

Night was slowly falling, ready to mark Elsa's second day of solitary confinement. Anna cooked up Elsa's favorite sandwich and took out a bar of chocolate from the fridge, hoping to get Elsa to eat it if she was successful getting inside.

"Elsa?" Anna knocked on the door softly. "Look, I'm not going anywhere. I know you're hurting but I'm right here. When you're ready, no matter how long it takes, I'll be here. I always am. But please don't shut me out. I want to help you, I want to see you. Can I come in? It's just me."

And it _was_ just her. The guys had gone out to set up the stage and then out for drinks, leaving the two girls locked in the bus until they returned.

Elsa felt, even with Anna on the other side, absolutely alone. But her stomach was growling and her Arrowhead water bottle was running dangerously low.

"Fine," Elsa replied, her voice scratchy.

She stumbled to her feet, her legs asleep from sitting in that position for so long, and unlocked the door so Anna could enter.

The redhead had to hold in a gasp. The Elsa before her was not the Elsa she was used to and it frightened her more than the hysterically crying one she had met in the hospital.

This Elsa was paler than usual with a grey tinge on her skin. Bags were underneath her dull blue eyes. Hair askew and slightly greasy. What little mascara Elsa applied to her eyes on the day of her father's death had finally broken away from its waterproof guarantee and had a dried, black stream down the side of her face from where her tears tumbled down. She was trembling, sweating, and was still wearing the same clothes from the day too, though her gloves were discarded off to the side.

A sleep deprived, grieving, absolutely lost Elsa was standing in front of Anna and the helplessness in Anna increased tenfold.

She had no idea what to say.

"I brought you some food," Anna said carefully, shutting the door behind her. Elsa sat at her desk chair, not looking at Anna anymore. "I made you a grilled cheese with ham and chocolate…" Anna cringed. "I mean, I brought chocolate too, it's not like it's _in_ your grilled cheese or anything. Nope, just ham in there with the cheese, your favorite… because I love you, and you need to eat something." She placed it on the desk in front of Elsa. "Please?"

Elsa spared it a glance and was about to protest but her stomach let out a very instant growl at the sight of her favorite comfort food. She knew that Anna would not allow her to refuse it after her insides exposed she was obviously hungry. She picked it up with one hand and started to nibble on it.

Anna stood awkwardly, waiting and watching.

"Is that all?" Elsa asked, making her girlfriend flinch inwardly at the bitterness in Elsa's voice.

"Oh, uhm, yeah…" Anna was about to turn away but she froze. She couldn't let Elsa suffer like this. It was tearing her apart and she needed to help. "No. No, it's not. I'm not leaving, Elsa. You can't just shut me, the guys, and your whole life out." She pulled away from the door and planted herself firmly in place. She was scared out of her mind with what she was about to face but she saw no other way out. "I can't even imagine how much this hurts and I am so, so sorry but staying in your room for the rest of your life isn't going to work. What about the band? The tour?

"Remember how when you were a kid and you went through some tough times, like you told me? And you'd listen to No Doubt and all the shit going on in your life seemed a little better? Remember how important it was to you? You give people that feeling, Elsa, you and the guys. You can't just disappear, not now when you have a concert so soon. Your fans still need you. I need you. We all do. We love you and we want to help you. We _all_ love you and want you help you through this difficult time. Please don't shut us out…"

That was not what Elsa wanted to hear. Mixed emotions crashed down on her and her emptiness inside filled with anger, hurt, resentment, and even a bit of jealously. What did Anna know? Her dad was still alive! Who did she think she was by coming in here and giving her tough love?

Elsa furrowed her brow and set down her sandwich, her hand still shaking.

"Anna, my dad died. He died after fourteen years of us being separated. Out there, in the world you live in and the world you're trying to get me to return to, is the one without him. I'm never gonna see him again." Tears finally started to creep up on her again, her voice cracked and she hated herself for it. "He's never gonna come back this time around no matter how much I can hope.

"I feel like there's this huge hole in my chest and I can't breathe right. This isn't a 'tough time' that Gwen Stefani can soothe over with a good ballad about romance or something. I lost a family member, someone I looked up to even though he wasn't around."

Just thinking about it made her chest fill with pain. Tears leaked out of the corners of her eyes and the shame in crying like this in front of Anna again flowed through her like water breaking from a dam. So much vulnerability in so little of a time period was stressing her out so much she was sure her hair was falling out.

"I don't care if people need me. This is no way to face the world. I just… I just…" Her voice was breaking more and more. "I… I can't. I can't, I can't, I can't." She covered her face in her hands and held back as many tears as possible.

"You can't stay in here forever, Elsa. I'm sorry but that's not how life works." Anna was still firm on tough love. "But when you're stepping out of this room, and out of the bus again, I'll be right there holding your hand. I always will be. Your dad may not be here in body but he is in spirit. You're never really alone, Els, even if you feel like you are right now. There's a whole, great big world out there for you to experience, and you deserve to see it. For now, though, we can just lie on the bed, if you'd like. And I'll hold you for as long as you need… if you'll let me?"

The blonde shot to her feet, fists at her sides, and Anna was able to catch the daring, burning rage in Elsa's eyes. There was still a great deal of distance between them but the clashing emotions filled it plenty.

"I c-c-c-can stay in here forever. J-Just f-f-fucking watch me!" Elsa challenged, teeth bared. If the situation were any different, Anna would have cowered or argued back with the same fiery defiance. But the tears still streaming down Elsa's pale face stopped her, scared her. Not of Elsa, but _for_ Elsa. "I don't have what it t-t-takes. So just… just… just go away, Anna!"

"I'm _not_ going anywhere, you should know that by now!" Anna countered, feeling her own tears build up within her. "So just stop being such a fucking punk and c-come here before I… I make you!"

She honestly had no plan. Frightened and feeling alone in trying to tackle this situation the best she could. And Elsa was being so damn stubborn.

"M-m-make me, then! I'd like to see you f-f-f-fucking try!"

"F-Fine! You asked for it! I'm gonna… I'm gonna… t-tickle you into submission!"

She reached for Elsa and started to dance her fingers on her sides. But no laughter came from Elsa. She only tried to get farther away from Anna, who was crying and shaking herself, knowledge of what to do gone and desperation replacing fear.

"Anna… Anna, stop. Anna, goddamn it, knock it off-f-f-f. _Anna for fuck's sake stop!_ " Elsa hollered and Anna retreated her hands immediately, staring at Elsa with her mouth agape as the blonde continued to scream. "Just h-h-h-hold me! Just please fucking hold me! I just need s-s-s-someone to hold me and t-t-tell me things are gonna be alright! I don't care if it's n-n-not true!" Hysterical Elsa returned tenfold, her voice strained, tears crashing down more and more with each word she yelled. "I just feel so f-f-fucking alone right now and I'm sorry I had to put you through th-th-this but fuck I just w-w-want to be fucking held!"

A ringing silence followed for a moment, the two girls staring at each other, before Elsa collapsed onto her knees and Anna rushed over to join her, holding Elsa close and mirroring their position from the waiting room. Elsa pressed her face into Anna's shoulder and wept once more, though this time it was to get it all out, to finally let someone in after brooding and grieving on her own. And it felt so good to do so, letting Anna stroke her hair and hearing her whisper in her ear softly.

"Shh, shh… It's okay, that's what I'm here for. Always gonna be here, okay?" She pulled back just enough to kiss Elsa's forehead. "Always," she mumbled against her skin. "I promise."

"D-d-d-don't leave me alone. P-Please don't go," Elsa begged, tightening her grip on Anna's shirt. "I can't do this on m-m-my own."

Anna's heart broke in two once she heard that. She hugged Elsa as close as she could, rocking her back and forth again.

"Elsa, I'm here to stay, through good times and bad. Now, come on, under the covers with me so I can cuddle you properly. And you, missy, need some sleep pronto." She offered Elsa a watery smile but did not receive one in return.

Elsa merely nodded. "Okay," she croaked.

She let Anna coax her over to the bed, shoes being kicked off along the way and Elsa's jacket being shed off her body. She let Anna take the bottom half of the cuddle, the place where Elsa usually rested, and Elsa buried her face in Anna's collarbone, feeling the blankets drape over her shoulders.

Her exhausted body finally melted into sleep, so tired of fighting and crying. Anna kept kissing her forehead and temple, whispering sweet nothings to soothe the shaking Elsa to sleep. The poor thing had been through so much in the last couple of days and it all finally blew up into tiny little pieces.

Sometime in the night, a half-asleep Anna heard the boys return home but it did not rouse Elsa, who was dead to the world, her entire body weight pressing the redhead to the sheets. The strain of the loss was more than this poor young adult could handle.

It occurred to Anna how young Elsa was. Of course, Anna _knew_ Elsa was twenty-two but if Elsa had stayed the path of university, the realization that Elsa would have been fresh out of college and looking forward to a career of her choice. Anna was barely starting her junior year of community college. She couldn't imagine the stress of success put on Elsa's shoulders, the entire world watching her next move.

Keeping the scars a secret after such a long time continuing to hide them made more sense than ever. Any flaw on a celebrity was thought to be the world's biggest mistake, especially in America. And since Elsa kept them hidden beneath the gloves, the scandal grew over time and, perhaps, it wouldn't live up to the hype.

Elsa was barely older than Anna and the redhead wondered how scared Elsa was half the time, if at all.

But for now, all Anna could do was hold her and let her ride out the death of her father little by little.

* * *

It was like coaxing a timid rabbit out of its cage with a carrot. But instead of a carrot, it was the promise of breakfast, instead of a cage, it was a bus, and instead of a rabbit, it was a freshly showered, well-rested Elsa. Her hand was interlocked with Anna's, who was gently pulling her out of the bus and into the outside world.

"Any time you want to get out of the light of day, let me know and we'll come back," Anna told her sweetly as they descended the last step.

"Yeah, Els, we know this is hard for you," Olaf said with a smile, taking Elsa's other hand.

"Thank you, but I think I'll be okay. Letting it out last night was more therapeutic than anything," Elsa said, the group starting to walk down the street. "I'm starving and I just want a ton of hash browns. Are we going to our old Denny's hang out?"

"You know it!" Sitron said, lighting up a cigarette.

Marshmallow smiled a big, dopey smile, patting his belly. "I think I'm gonna get a big platter of pancakes."

"It looks like I'm diving into a bit of Dry Ice history, huh?" Anna said.

"It's like studying animals in their natural habitat," Kristoff chuckled, earning a laugh from Anna and Sven.

Sven leapt forward and put his hands up to his eyes to mimic binoculars, focusing them on the group as he walked backwards.

"And here we see the mysterious Dry Ice and their bottom-feeding workers," he said in a terrible attempt at an Australian accent. "That there is a Sitron, who is heavily addicted to the weed he finds around his natural habitat." The bassist flipped him off. "Over here his a mighty Kristoff who's unmanly blondeness keeps all the ladies away."

"You suck," Kristoff said with a glare, folding his arms across his chest.

Sven was on a roll, switching his gaze over to Elsa, Anna, and Olaf. "This interesting threesome. The Olaf is a kind creature who loves to hug people and it's often rather comforting for sad people. Then we have our Elsa and Anna. Elsa may seem like a hard-shelled female with little to no emotion and heavily coated in sarcasm but she's actually a soft-hearted, caring type of gal. And beside her is her mate, Anna, who is sort of the glue of this rag-tag pack of wild animals."

"Why do they get the nice observations!?" Sitron demanded.

"Because it's true," Elsa grinned.

"So deal with it," Anna and Olaf chimed together.

"We have the Marshmallow. Now, he might _look_ like a monster who can crush you into a million pieces but he's actually what is essentially Hagrid from _Harry Potter_. A misunderstood, gentle giant," Sven said.

Marshmallow nodded. "I can agree with that."

"Aaaand finally!" Sven extended his hand binoculars out in front of him. "We have our devilishly handsome Sven. A charming specimen who gets all the ladies. During mating season— _Ah!_ "

Since he was walking backwards, Sven wasn't looking where he was going so he tripped over a curb an fell flat on his butt. As Anna, Olaf, Sitron, and Elsa doubled over laughing, Kristoff zipped over with his own set of hand binoculars and focused on his brother.

"Turns out, our previous field guide had some incorrect information about the Sven we see before us. He's actually a klutz who likes to run his mouth," Kristoff said in a far better Australian accent than Sven's. "Also, the Kristoff he mentioned before his way more attractive and his blonde hair gets him all the ladies that Sven claims to get."

"Fuck you," Sven whined, Marshmallow helping him off the ground. "Why didn't you tell me there was a curb!?"

"Because you deserved to fall!" Sitron snickered.

After they were all seated in the largest booth available and after their food was ordered, they discussed their plans for the rest of their stay in Wisconsin.

"So before we leave, we're all going to my place for dinner," Olaf said joyfully. "They're super excited to see you, Elsa. They miss the hell outta you."

"Mom said she'd make her special cookies," Marshmallow told her. "Those snickerdoodles you love so much. We told her about what happened so she's pulling out all the stops to cheer you up."

"I look forward to it. It'll be lovely to see Skyler and Nikolai after so long and it's sweet of them to make my return more pleasant," Elsa said, playing with Anna's fingers beneath the table. She hadn't let go of them the entire morning. "Are your parents gonna be there, Sitron?"

"My mom is but my dad might be late since he has work," Sitron said casually, taking a sip of his coffee.

"Marsh and I were also gonna check out the old music store down the street from our place. You all wanna come?" Olaf inquired. "I'm sure they've updated their collection since last we visited."

"Sure, why not," Elsa shrugged. "It'll keep me out of my room."

"Sven and I are gonna go to the theatre and start setting up so that's a no for us," Kristoff said.

"Awh, man! I wanted to go," Sven frowned.

"Work first, buddy."

"I can't, either. I'm gonna visit the cemetery later this afternoon," Sitron said. "Stop by the flower shop on my way."

"Oh, right. You wanted to do that. Give my regards to Beth," Olaf said sympathetically, patting his friend on the back.

"Can I go with you?" Anna blurted.

Sitron paused over his coffee cup and glanced at her, brows furrowed.

"Why?" he wondered. Though his voice wasn't snappish or angry. He seemed genuinely curious as to why Anna would want to come along to visit a girlfriend's grave.

"I don't know…" Anna blushed, feeling all eyes on her.

His brown eyes swept her up and down before shrugging. "Only if you want to. I couldn't care less." He engaged Sven and Kristoff in conversation as their food arrived, not giving Anna a second thought.

She sulked in her seat and stared down at her freshly made Grand Slam breakfast.

"He may seem ungrateful," Olaf whispered, peering around Elsa to look at Anna, "but that actually means a lot to him."

"Yeah, don't let his shitty mood-swings throw you off, baby," Elsa assured, pressing a kiss against Anna's temple. "And don't let my shitty mood-swings do the same."

"It's fine… It _was_ a little random," Anna admitted with a weak shrug.

"It was your kind heart doing the talking for you," Elsa said, finally letting go of Anna hand so she could pick up her fork and eat.

* * *

The group went their separate ways after breakfast. Olaf, Marshmallow, and Elsa to the music store, Kristoff and Sven to the theatre, and Sitron and Anna to the flower shop.

Anna wasn't quite sure what to say to him as they walked down the street. She kept glancing at him as he smoked a cigarette, looking straight forward. She kept her hands in her pockets, shoulders up to her ears with anxiousness. In the back of her head, she wished she had never offered to join him but at the same time, she knew that, for some reason, she _had_ to join him no matter how indifferent he was.

He took a long drag of his cigarette and then flicked it on the ground, crushing it beneath his sneaker, coming to a stop. It was then Anna realized they had arrived at the flower shop. He pushed his way through the door, Anna lingering close behind him, her senses overloaded with the perfumes of the flowers surrounding her.

"Hey, Flower," Sitron said to the boy at the counter. "Thumper not in today?"

 _Flower?_ Anna thought. Then she saw the sign, just barely visible among the plethora of petals. Flower's Flowers. It hit her that the owner of the shop was _named_ Flower.

The more she thought of the word flower, the less it sounded like a word.

"Yeah, he and Bambi are helping out at the nature center," said Flower, who was caring for a bouquet of roses. "Wait…" He seemed to notice who was standing before him. "Oh my goodness, Sitron! It's been so long!" He scurried out from behind the counter to embrace him. "How are you!?"

"I'm good," he chuckled, patting his back in response. "I've come to pick up the usual order. Lilacs and tulips."

"Of course, right away!" he chirped, bounding off to grab his request. "Who's your friend?"

Sitron turned to face a shy Anna, still hovering near the entrance with uncertainty. He reached out for her and she nervously took his hand, letting him drag her over to stand beside him.

"This is my buddy Anna. She's a roadie on our tour," he explained. "She's actually dating Elsa."

"No way! Good catch," Flower giggled. "How are you liking Wisconsin, Anna?"

"It's nice," Anna said quietly.

"It's been rough, not gonna lie," Sitron said, sensing Anna's discomfort and draping an arm around her shoulders. "Elsa's had a not-so-warm welcome. Adgar passed."

Flower's smile vanished and he slowly put down the flowers he was sorting through.

"Oh dear. I can't believe it… how's Elsa?" he asked.

"Broken up but better than she was a couple of days ago. It's a good thing, too, since our concert is tomorrow," Sitron said. "You going to that?"

"Of course!" Relieved for a change of subject, Flower's face brightened. "I can't wait to finally see you in a professional concert. Last I saw, you were all still playing in Olaf's garage, Elsa sang Nickelback, and you called yourselves Glacier."

Anna snorted into her fist and Sitron grinned. "Oh my god, that's right she did. Shit, I gotta bring that up again," he said.

"Granted, even in your early stages, you were better than Nickelback," Flower smirked, wrapping Sitron's order in lilac plastic wrap to hold it all together.

"Of course we were," Sitron said, reaching into his jacket pocket and taking out his wallet. "Everyone is better than them."

"Put that thing away!" Flower insisted, passing off the bouquet to Anna. "Your money is no good here. My loyal costumers—"

"Should pay the money they owe, my friend," he said, handing him a twenty. "Flower, I'm simply helping to keep you in business. Take the money."

He pursed his lips at him before taking the bill reluctantly. "Fine," he said tartly. "But next time, it's on me."

"You always say that but I manage to convince you otherwise. See you later, Flower. It's been good seeing you."

"Come back soon and tell Beth I said hello. It was nice to meet you, Anna."

"Oh… yeah," Anna said, waving goodbye as she and Sitron left the shop.

They walked in silence again, Anna cradling the flowers like it was a child. He gazed down at her and used the hand still around her shoulders to ruffle her hair.

"You okay, kid?" he asked.

"Mm-hm," she nodded.

"You sure? You seem stiff."

"I'm just…" She let out a breath. "It's really weird being here. You all have a history in this town and I'm suddenly a part of it. It's like walking into a photography book full of memories that have come alive."

"Then, allow me to fill you in. Flower is an old high school friend who inherited his family's old shop. He's a great guy and doesn't care that he's named Flower in spite of being a dude," Sitron said. "He and his friends Thumper and Bambi run the shop together. I came in there for the first time as a customer after Beth passed, though. Been going ever since."

"I think it's sweet that you have friends like that," Anna said.

When they fell into silence once more, it was more comfortable and Anna felt a weight lift off her chest. Sitron guided the pair of them to the cemetery and they hiked along the grassy lawn to the plot where Beth was laid to rest.

The two of them stopped in front of a gravestone, Beth's name etched into it and a quote beneath that broke Anna's heart in two, if that were even possible after everything that had happened.

_Just a few more hours/And I'll be right home to you._

Sitron hummed the tune to _Beth_ under his breath and took the bouquet from Anna, setting it down in front of her grave. Then he sat in the grass, Anna following suit. They stared at the headstone for a couple of beats, Anna unsure of what to do.

Then, Sitron spoke.

"Hey, Beth," he said softly. "I hope things are going well for you. Lighting up Heaven with that smile of yours, I'm sure. Everyone says hello, as they always do." He let himself smile, trying to hold back tears. "I brought my friend Anna along. Told her about you. I know you'd love her if you got the chance to meet her."

"Yes, hello, Beth," Anna said at once. "I… It's unfortunate we have to meet this way."

"Isn't it, though?" Sitron said, sending her a thankful smile. "So I'm back for a while here." He looked back at the grave. "I hope you enjoy our set at the concert. Elsa promised to sing _Beth_ tomorrow just for you. A little home tribute."

"Indeed I did," came Elsa's voice.

Anna and Sitron jumped and whirled around to find Elsa, Olaf, and Marshmallow walking over to them.

"I felt it would be nice to meet you up here," Elsa said. "And personally say hello to our old friend."

"Yeah. I brought along my acoustic to play a bit for her!" Olaf said, lifting up a guitar case.

"If you don't mind, of course," Marshmallow added.

"You guys…" Sitron bit his lip and scrambled to his feet. "You didn't have to."

"Probably not. But if our visit home is gonna be melancholy, then we might as well fodder the fire," Elsa said. "However, I think I'm tired of tragedy so I'll leave you to it. I'm ready for a nap. Anna, my love, would you care to join me?"

"Oh, sure!" Anna got to her feet as well.

"Have a nice time. Beth, it was good to see you, darling," Elsa said, looping her arm with Anna's and leading her away.

The wind brushed by the five of them, warming the air significantly, as if Beth was saying thank you to them all. As Olaf and Marshmallow made themselves comfortable and the couple walked off, Sitron faced away from them and let slip a tear.

* * *

Per Elsa's request, Anna was to be in the audience. She knew exactly why. This was probably the last thing Elsa wanted to do but the blonde pulled the show must go on card on herself and decided to please her hometown.

As she stood in the front row of the pit after the opening band, she overheard conversations and picked up that some of those surrounding her personally knew Elsa from times before. Some mentioned going to high school with her, a few recalled how awkward she used to be, others claimed they were surprised she made it this far. Anna even heard some people remembering Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow.

The fact that the most eccentric group of friends gathered together to make a band—and a popular one at that—was a fact that everyone was pleased to know. That the seemingly hopeless band Glacier, desperately trying to get up off the ground in the music world, had taken flight as Dry Ice and now had a number one hit that was known across the entire globe.

Lights finally started to dim and the crowd went wild. People screamed individual names, more so than Anna had ever heard in other concerts. The bassline started and Sitron strode on stage, thumping away. A chant bearing his name grew across the room.

Then, Marshmallow came out from behind the drum platform, climbed up, and started to play along. Sitron's name melted into the drummer's. Olaf arrived, his fingers shredding on the guitar and the chanting grew, this time yelling Olaf's name.

Elsa's voice rang out, though she remained offstage, "Ah, it's good to be home, isn't it, boys?"

Anna went deaf for a second as the audience exploded with Elsa's name. The redhead stuck a finger in her ear, wincing with slight pain. Even Arendelle wasn't this loud when Dry Ice performed.

The trapdoor on the stage slid open and Elsa was lifted up onto the stage, wireless microphone in her hand, fist in the air.

"I missed this place," Elsa said with a grin. "I hope you're ready to rock 'n roll with some old buddies."

Although Elsa seemed to be bubbling over with excitement and joy, Anna knew that Elsa was really keeping it all together. It was hard for her to be back on stage after such a heaviness had invaded her heart, weighing her down. A personal talent of Elsa's was to put on those façades and make everyone believe what she wants them to believe.

"Let's start with a little favorite of mine…" Elsa said, snapping her fingers and they boys started to play _My World_ by Avril Lavigne on command.

Her icy eyes found Anna's teal ones in the crowd and smiles were exchanged, instant relief flooding through Elsa. She was able to get through the first set with ease, playing off Anna when she felt she was off her game. Anna kept up her usual dancing "with" Elsa and the boys, but they all knew it wasn't as fun as it usually was. She was keeping them all afloat as best as she could, making them perform the best they could during such a melancholy time.

Like she promised, a rendition _Beth_ was performed and everyone in the audience held up their phones in lieu of candles, lights glowing bright. Sitron even teared up, playing his heart out for his long lost love.

After Elsa sand _Let It Go_ , the lights didn't go down like they usually did. Anna stared, brows furrowed, and waited for the band to say their goodbyes. Elsa set the mic on the holder and asked for silence, which she was given at once.

"So, I always end the show with that song but… tonight…" Elsa sighed. "I don't think I can do so. You see, I lost my father a few days ago to cancer and I…" She choked up, her voice cracking. "I'd like to sing a song dedicated to him, if I may." She turned to look off stage. "Kristoff, the piano, please?"

The blonde roadie came out rolling a piano with the help of a few other stagehands. They put it in place and Elsa sat in front of it. Kristoff gave Elsa a headset and a supportive smile before heading offstage. As Elsa put on the headset, the entire stage darkened except a spotlight on Elsa and the instrument.

"I know it's more of a song about God and whatever but the term 'father' is used in it a lot so… It works for me at this point." Elsa cleared her throat. "So, to my father Adgar Andersen, this is for you. _Hold My Heart_ by Tenth Avenue North…"

Elsa began to play the piano and sing the song, and Anna's mouth slowly fell open. Tears welled in her eyes and she could hear others around her start to sniffle. The boys joined in when it was time to do so, making the music swell with emotion.

Anna started to cry and cry _hard_. Her heart was shattering in a million pieces and she knew she wasn't alone. Elsa was even allowing herself to cry as her fingers danced across the ivories, playing each note with such passion that the audience could physically feel it.

When the final note died away, the crowd was left in a stunned silence. Elsa sat at the piano until the lights went off. Only then did the audience erupt in supportive, affectionate applause for their hometown hero. Yet on stage, Elsa was glued to the seat, weeping into her hands. Sven had turned the mic off as soon as the song ended in case Elsa couldn't hold it in.

Olaf, Marshmallow, and Sitron rushed over to her and helped her offstage, Anna already elbowing her way over to Oaken so she could get backstage, a trail of tear stains on her freckled face. He allowed her back at once and Anna rushed towards Elsa, who was doing her best to make it to the dressing room. But as soon as she saw Anna, her lifeline, she broke away from the boys and met her halfway, getting enveloped in the warmest hug.

"You wanna go home?" Anna asked.

"No… no, I have a job to do," Elsa said, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "I have some fans I have to meet." She offered Anna a strained smile. "Just help clear the stage. I'll be okay."

"Are you sure?" Anna said, cupping Elsa's face and searching it carefully. "You know you can just go—"

"I know, I know. But I can't let them down. Not while I'm here."

"Alright. Just let me know and we'll get the hell outta here." Anna kissed her cheek. "Be strong, my hero."

Elsa winked at her with a tiny smirk before meeting back up with the guys and heading over to meet those with backstage passes. Anna followed a passing Kristoff back onto the stage so she could start packing things up.

She had to admire Elsa for remaining loyal to the fans who were itching to meet her. No matter what sort of turmoil Elsa was going through, she knew that her fans were important and a driving force in her career. They helped make it, after all, just by buying her song.

* * *

Around three in the morning, a sweaty and sore Anna trudged back onto the bus, equally exhausted Kristoff and already half-asleep Sven right behind her. The band members were all passed out in their bunks, Elsa in her room. Anna bid them goodnight and entered Elsa's bedroom, shutting the door quietly behind her.

To her surprise, Elsa was still awake, waiting for her.

"Elsa?" Anna said cautiously.

"I didn't wanna go to bed without you," Elsa yawned. "Well, okay, I also didn't want to sleep alone."

"Mm, I understand." Anna removed her clothes except her bra and underpants, too tired to get her pajamas, and crawled into bed with Elsa. "I'm proud of you, y'know. For performing tonight, for still meeting with fans… you really are my hero."

"And you're mine," Elsa breathed. "Thank you for everything. For dealing with me and all this."

"Elsa, this is what I do. I have to be here for you through the good times and the bad and I know you'll do the same." She kissed Elsa's lips softly. "Because we love each other."

A sleepy smile was sent Anna's way before icy blue eyes locked shut, sending Elsa into a well-deserved sleep.

* * *

**Next: a slice of the past. Stay tuned.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	29. My World

**This is a chapter I was sitting on for a while, and it had given me real difficulty in trying to see how it would pan out… and so far, I liked it and then I didn't but then I did again. It's to give you a bit of a backstory of Elsa and her development as a person. Rather than have her just sit down and spew it all out on Anna, I decided to let it be a sequence of events.**

**Not everything she's experienced will be in this. But… I guess you'll have to see for yourself.**

**I thank you all so much, I give you this lengthy chapter.**

* * *

"Do we have to go?" Elsa inquired, staring up at her mother through the rearview mirror with glassy eyes. When Idunn didn't respond, Elsa pestered her again. "Why do we have to go? And why isn't Papa coming with us?"

"Elsa, this is for you," Idunn said. "We're going to live with your grandmother for a while."

"But where is Papa? Why isn't he here?" Elsa pushed her, her tiny face contorted with confusion and desperation.

"He agreed this was important," Idunn said, keeping her focus on the road. "Important for you."

"I want my Papa!" Elsa wailed, unbuckling her carseat.

"Young lady, you get back in your seat this instant!"

Elsa didn't listen. She pushed away the luggage stacked in the trunk in order to see the road behind her, hoping to see her father running after her in attempts to catch up and hold her one last time. She didn't understand why he had been shaking when he hugged her goodbye.

"I hope I'll see you soon, kid," he had said, his voice cracking.

But she didn't understand. Her mother was taking her to her grandmother's house for how long? Elsa wanted to go back home to where she had her mother and father. Had her bedroom and backyard… the backyard where they chased her around and laughed. Where she was the captured princess in her treehouse and her father had to come rescue her. Where her mother twirled her and jumped on the trampoline with her. Where they were happy, where they were a _family_.

Why were they leaving? Why was it just she and her mother?

Idunn pulled the car over and got a whimpering, crying Elsa to sit back down. She told her not to do it again. She told her to behave like a good girl should. Elsa's lip quivered as she stared down at her hands. Hot, sorrowful tears poured down Elsa's cheeks as Idunn started up the car.

She kept her mouth shut during the rest of the drive, heart in her throat. For the first time in her eight years of life, she glanced up at glared at her mother. There was an anger inside her tiny, broken heart that was directed at the woman who would not give her a straight answer.

And it would continue to grow from that point forward.

* * *

"Idunn, why do you let her wear jeans? It's not very becoming on a young woman," her grandmother said one afternoon.

Two months or so after moving in with her grandmother, this was the first time Elsa had heard something critical about the way she dressed. Elsa, who was calmly eating her PB&J in the breakfast nook, furrowed her brows and suddenly felt very uncomfortable in her jeans. Idunn cocked her head at her mother curiously.

"However do you mean? Elsa looks just fine in her jeans," she said.

"She's a girl. She should be wearing skirts and _not sitting with her legs apart_." She directed her attention to Elsa, who winced and shut her legs, shoulders hunched to her ears.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"Mother, she's only eight, almost nine," Idunn said.

"That's no excuse. Under my roof, she's a lady. Starting tomorrow, we're getting rid of all her jeans and she will wear skirts everyday," Grandmother said tartly.

"But I don't like skirts," Elsa protested. "My legs will get scraped when I play."

" _Don't_ talk back to me. Tough it out. You're a lady, Elsa, and you will behave as such."

Elsa flushed and felt tears come to her eyes. Idunn didn't fight her mother on it. Rather, she told Elsa to finish up her lunch and go play outside. And that was exactly what Elsa did. She trudged out to the backyard with its yellowing grass and overgrown weeds near the fence, the heat of the summer sun pounding down on the back of her neck.

She plopped herself down in the patch of dirt by the side of the house where her Matchbox cars were waiting from their recent race. Grandmother had already confiscated her Legos and gave her Barbies instead, so she had to quietly play with her toy cars, a gift her father had given her for her fifth birthday because she had become fond of watching him build his model cars. If Grandmother discovered she had a "boy's toy", they'd be chucked in a bin and she would be presented with a fake make-up kit or kitchen unit or some female-gender-oriented toy that girls are "supposed" to play with.

Elsa scowled as she flicked her red car forward, sending it flying across the dirt and into the grass nearby.

"Disqualified," she mumbled, feeling sweat on her brow as the sun beat down up above.

She looked down at her fading jeans, filled with several holes from her attempts to climb trees and over the fences before she got caught. Without the protection of the denim, she would get scratches on her legs, like she had tried to explain to Grandmother. Skirts were too exposing.

"I don't see what the big deal is. They're just pants." She picked up her promotional Mountain Dew truck that she was pretty sure was a Hot Wheel mixed in with her Matchbox. "It's not like skirts are so great."

She set the truck down and drove it across the dirt, guiding it in a circle. She made car noises, her tiny braid falling over her left shoulder. She paused and let her left hand—her dominate hand, the hand she wrote with, the hand Grandmother scolded her for using—touch the braid.

She liked the way her braid fell. Instead of letting it run down her back in a neat braid, Elsa preferred the different take. Grandmother wouldn't like the difference for whatever reason. But that was more than enough to get Elsa to continue to wear her braid over her shoulder.

Elsa sat back down, trying to think about why things were changing so fast. Why her wearing jeans was such a blasphemous thing in this house. She had always worn jeans. She used to run around in overalls when she was really little. It just didn't make sense to her why something like _this_ was such a big deal.

Over time, her mother grew more and more strict as they lived under the thumb of Elsa's grandmother. She enforced the skirt rule and would tell Elsa not to complain when she or Grandmother wore pants, and Elsa was still not allowed to. Elsa's cars were eventually taken away after Grandmother caught her making a muddy mess with her monster trucks. She was presented with a dollhouse as a replacement. Elsa threw a fit and broke it on the first day, sending the plastic pieces flying across the backyard as her tantrum brewed ever larger. She smashed it into the ground and glared defiantly at the gawking pair of women on the back porch. The furniture pieces lay askew along the grass and the family it came with had gotten lost in the bushes.

Elsa was grounded for a week.

* * *

During her time at Grandmother's, Elsa cried. A lot. It wasn't as though she liked crying. She just felt lost and unhappy. She cried for her father to take her with him. She cried for her favorite pair of jeans that had long since been thrown away, for the toys she tried to salvage from the trash bin before she got caught. She cried because the boys in her neighborhood started picking on her and calling her a wuss for wearing skirts instead of jeans and stopped playing with her. She cried because the girls would only sit around and play with the girly toys instead of with cars or GI-Joe's like she played with before.

She cried because she felt like she was dying, like a part of her true self was dying. Of course, she was too young to really comprehend what she was feeling exactly. She didn't understand why she couldn't do what she pleased, why she had to dress like a proper lady. She hated skirts. She hated dresses. She didn't want to be like all the other girls.

Elsa felt different from everybody else in the neighborhood.

"Different is great," her father once told her. "It's okay to be different, kid."

Oh, how she wanted to believe him. With the way her mother and grandmother were treating her, it was hard not to conform to the norm. One day Elsa just sucked it up, and hardly shed a tear ever since. What was the point in crying when nobody was looking to save her?

When she was ten, she tried, she really did. A year and a half of fighting left her tired and she wondered would it really be that bad to listen to them for once? So she kept her mouth shut and behaved, went to school, got good grades, and played house with the girls in her class. And she soon discovered that _loved_ to play house with the girls in class for some reason. While Grandmother would think that the playdates she had upstairs with her classmates were innocent games of house, it was beyond her knowledge that Elsa would willingly take the role has the father.

There weren't any boys, she figured, so what was the big deal? Elsa would kiss her "wife" whenever she "got home from work" and none of the girls thought anything of it. But Elsa liked it.

After one particular playdate, when her three friends went home, Elsa was sitting at the kitchen table with Grandmother and Idunn.

"Mama?" Elsa said, poking her peas around with her fork.

"Yes, dear?" Idunn replied.

"Today when we were playing house, I was the Dad," she said.

"Mhm?"

"And so, it's normal when Dads come home and kiss the Mamas… right?" Elsa blinked curiously at her mother, who froze over the piece of steak she was about to eat.

"I beg your pardon?" said Grandmother, staring at Elsa as if she couldn't believe her eyes.

"I kissed Lizzy," Elsa explained, "because she was the Mama. And Julia and Becca were our daughters and—"

"You kissed a girl?" Grandmother held a quiet fire in her eyes and Elsa suddenly felt very afraid.

"'Cause Dads and Moms kiss. I was just being realistic," Elsa tried to justify.

"Elsa Andersen, there will be no such filth living under my roof," Grandmother growled quietly.

"Mother—" Idunn tried but Grandmother held up a hand to silence her.

"What you did, Elsa, was sinful and disgusting."

"But I liked it a lot!" Elsa whined. "Why is it gross?"

"Listen to my words Elsa: conceal and don't feel. You'll be a social outcast if you continue this behavior. Do you understand?"

Elsa sank into her seat. "I think so…"

"Good. I think it's time you found other friends, as well," Grandmother said sharply, with the air of a queen ruling over her kingdom. "No more hanging out with that Lizzy girl."

"But—"

"Not a word, Elsa. Not a word."

The young girl frowned and glanced down at her food, suddenly losing her appetite altogether. She didn't notice her mother trying to come to her defense for the first time in forever, and Grandmother shutting her down with a stern expression. Idunn cast an apologetic look Elsa's way, but Elsa never caught it.

* * *

Elsa loved getting mail. Ever since her father sent her a postcard from New York last year, she would hope and pray that he would send her something else to let her know he was still thinking about her.

She would run out to the mailbox every morning before school in order to see if she got any. The mailman knew her by name, though she never took the time to know his. He would laugh every time the eleven year old would run outside in her school uniform, the red and blue plaid skirt and white polo shirt and knee high socks, and ask if she got anything.

Most often, Elsa was without mail and she would grow disappointed, taking the rest inside and eating her cereal with a long face.

However, on her twelfth birthday, when Elsa ran outside in the bitter winter air to the meet the mail man, he was standing there with a smile she had never seen him wear before.

"Guess who got mail today?" he said.

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Really!?"

"Yes! In fact, it's not just mail." He handed her a brown package. "It's something better."

Elsa gaped at it, mindlessly taking the other mail he presented to her. She stuttered out a "thank you" and rushed back inside. The threw the letters at Grandmother and bolted up the stairs, ignoring the calls of her name.

She leapt onto her bed and tore open the box. There was another wrapped gift inside, birthday balloons and confetti decorating the paper. But there was also a card on top of it.

A fine brow lifted in curiosity and she slowly opened the card. Her heart skipped a beat and she immediately recognized the handwriting, blue eyes flickering towards the postcard that was lying on her bedside table.

_Happy Birthday, Elsa!_

_I miss you so much, kid, and I promise I'll see you as soon as possible. I'm still in New York, trying to get a few gigs and make some money to send your way. Would you believe I actually have an apartment here? Don't worry, I'll be home when I can get back._

_Anyway, I was a music store the other day and I discovered a CD from a band that really inspired me to become the musician I am. It came out a couple of years ago but I think you'll enjoy it._

_Hope to see you very soon._

_Love you!_

_~Papa~_

Elsa bit her lip, hiding a smile, and opened the gift. In her hands, she held No Doubt's 2001 album, _Rock Steady_. She stared at it, her fingers gliding over the plastic wrap. She removed the plastic and cracked open the cover, grinning big at the CD. She felt a pull towards it, as if she was supposed to listen to it right away.

"Oh no," she heard from her doorway.

 _Dang! I forgot to close my door!_ Elsa thought, eyes falling on her mother.

"Elsa, give me the CD," Idunn commanded. "That's not for you to listen to."

"No! Papa gave it to me for my birthday!" Elsa said, closing the cover and hugging it to her chest.

"Give it to me now," Idunn snapped.

"Listen to your mother," Grandmother said, appearing behind her.

Elsa shook her head. "I'm not letting you take this away from me! Not like everything else you've done!"

Idunn gaped. "Elsa Andersen, you give me that CD this instant or you're in big trouble."

The pre-teen's face darkened and her eyes darted to her WalkMan CD player sitting on her desk, to her mother, and then to the window. She could do it if she moved fast. In a flash, Elsa flew off her bed, grabbed her WalkMan, pocketed it and the CD, threw open the window, and climbed up the side of the house.

She ignored their screeches for her to get back inside. She ignored the fact she was still wearing a skirt and was probably flashing her underwear to the entire neighborhood.

She had made a successful escape onto the roof of the garage and they didn't find her all day. She had heard them calling her name but where she was nestled, it was impossible to find her immediately.

Elsa lay in the thin layer of snow that had piled on top of the garage. She put in the CD, snapped on her headphones, and pressed play.

From the first track, Elsa felt a rush of warmth at the sound of Gwen Stefani's voice. She closed her eyes and allowed herself to be absorbed in the music. Each drum beat, each bassline, each riff of the guitar sent her further and further in love with this type of music.

For so long, she had been forced to listen to the music her mother liked. For so long, she was told to conform to the norm. But this was something from her father, something that felt like home. It was familiar territory and she was basking in it for as long as she could.

She listened to the CD over and over and over again, getting lost in the soundtrack, ignoring the chill of the snow that surrounded her pale body. In fact, she _loved_ the cold suddenly. She picked up a bit of snow and let it melt on her face, looking up into the pearly grey sky and deciding that no more would she be under the thumb of the women inside.

No, Elsa was her own person. For a reason still not explained to her, her father was taken from her. And for the longest time, Grandmother and Idunn tried to take whatever lit up Elsa's world away.

Music, she thought, was going to be her life from now on. If there was any way to rebel, it was to be a punk.

Elsa felt a deep, devious smirk crawl across her young face. She could see herself so clearly in dark clothes and glinting piercings. Maybe a tattoo or two. She was standing on a stage, people who loved her calling her name. She would get away from all of this and find a life among the stars.

She swore it in the name of rock itself.

Her rebellion started off slow. First it was with the music. She had asked Idunn if she could take singing lessons, but she was given the thumbs down. Enraged, Elsa decided to teach herself. With her birthday money she received from her uncle and aunt on her father's side, Elsa went out and bought two more No Doubt CDs and a songbook. She purchased with what she had left a small CD player and made sure to lock her door so she could play her music on blast without being disturbed.

Whenever she left for school, she would hide her things in a place where neither her mother or grandmother could find. Elsa could tell when they looked, for things would be out of place when she got home. But they never found it. She continued to lock her door and blast her music, singing along with tenacity and strength.

Then Grandmother made sure to get a key.

Elsa retaliated by blocking her door with her desk chair. Then that was taken away. But Elsa argued that she couldn't properly do her homework in her room without it. Grandmother insisted that Elsa do it downstairs but Idunn decided to let it be and returned the chair to Elsa, who gained a score point in her mind.

She started to dress differently, too. When she turned thirteen, she got a part-time job at a local deli, busting tables. With the money she earned, she bought herself some used clothes at hand-me-down stores. Tattered jeans, graphic tees, sneakers, anything she could get her hands on that wasn't frilly or pink or a damned skirt. Grandmother was furious when Elsa came down for breakfast one Saturday morning in a _Star Wars_ T-Shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans.

Elsa merely sneered at her, sitting down at her usual spot and peacefully eating her cereal, trying to ignore the screams and shouts of her ridiculous grandmother, who just couldn't let things go.

"Not in my house, young lady!" Grandmother hollered.

Elsa shrugged, eyes lidded.

"How dare you think this is appropriate!?"

"I do what I like. This is comfortable for me," Elsa responded calmly.

"What do I keep telling you about talking back?!"

"Grandmother, I'm not even giving to attitude," Elsa said sincerely. "I don't see what the big deal is."

"It's a big deal. You are deliberately disobeying me."

Elsa's blood started to boil, though she tried to keep cool. "They're just clothes."

"No!"

"Yes! I wear the required uniform for school everyday anyway. I don't know why wearing pants on the weekend is suddenly blasphemous."

"You are a girl and here you are dressing like a dyke!"

With that last word, something snapped in Elsa. She shot out of her chair and shouted, "SHUT UP!"

That was greeted with a ringing silence. Idunn, who had been quiet the whole time, stared at Elsa as if she had never seen her before. Grandmother was shaking with rage.

"How dare you?" she whispered.

"How dare I?" Elsa snarled. "You're making a big deal out of nothing. Go to hell!"

"Elsa!" Idunn snapped, finally engaging in the argument. "Apologize this instant!"

"No! Screw this!" Elsa smacked her bowl and sent it flying across the room, where it smashed against the wall, milk and Cheerios sliding to the tiled floor. "Let me be me! Mind your own fucking business!"

Elsa had never sworn before, but she had heard the kids at school do it in the halls. And it felt so good to let her pent up rage out in one word. Both women were staring at Elsa, as though she had grown two heads and five additional arms.

She stormed upstairs and slammed her door shut. She clenched her fists and slowed her breathing.

Finally, she had made her stand. She was doing something that felt better than listening like the good girl she always had to be. Elsa took in one more calming breath and moved her chair in front of her door, blocking their way into her room.

Blocking their way into her life.

* * *

Her first month of high school could have gone better, she thought. She wasn't an outcast simply because she was a freshman. No, with little to no friends from middle school, Elsa spent her lunchtime alone in the back of the cafeteria, watching her peers enjoy themselves with their little cliques. She desperately wanted to join some kind of club or group, but noticed that a lot of the students whispered in the halls whenever she walked by. It bugged her to no end, but she tried not to think about it too much.

Her second month, however, took a turn.

It was lunchtime when Elsa was slowly making her way to the cafeteria. She was looking down, hands on the straps of her backpack, eyes lidded with exhaustion and loneliness. She had thought that things would be different but so far, friends were nowhere to be seen. Since she wasn't looking where she was going, Elsa accidentally smacked into someone in a rush—who also wasn't looking where they were going—and both went crashing to the floor.

Music sheets went flying, Elsa caught herself before she ate it. Though the stranger wasn't as lucky. Elsa turned to see that the boy she bumped into had fallen face-first onto the tile, groaning and struggling to stand.

"Oh my god!" Elsa gasped, running over to help him up. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's no biggie," chuckled the boy, shaking his head to rid himself of his daze. "Whoa, head rush!" He giggled and got to his feet, brushing off his pants. "That's my bad for not looking where I was going. I dropped my music though."

Elsa stared at him curiously. He was a tall, lanky boy with a head full of snow-white hair. His eyes were dark as coals and his face was pointed and pale. He was still smiling, two buck teeth the most obvious of his features, and his hands were covered with calluses. No doubt from a guitar, Elsa noted, if he was a musician.

She realized that she should probably help this kid so she rushed to pick up the sheets of music, continuously apologizing as she shoved them back into his hands.

"It's alright, really!" he assured. "I'm a klutz by profession."

She felt herself smile. "I'm still sorry. You totally ate shit not two minutes ago."

"That's not even the worst thing that's happened to me," he said cheerfully.

"Oh… well, uh…" She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"My name is Olaf Kollsvein, by the way!" he continued, sticking out his hand, unphased by her awkward stammering. "I'm a freshman."

"I'm Elsa Ander—" She stopped herself. "Elsa. Just Elsa." She took his hand and they shook politely. "Same boat as you."

"Awesome! Hey, I was about to grab lunch with my buddy Sitron. You wanna join us?"

"You mean it?"

"Heck, yeah!" He looped his arm with hers. "C'mon, just Elsa." He laughed. "You're my new friend. I love starting friendships with interesting beginnings."

Elsa felt her heart swell. "Yeah, okay!"

She never had a friend like this before. She had isolated herself so deep that everyone considered her to be a freak. But now she was being treated with kindness from what was basically a total stranger she bumped into—quite literally.

Olaf took her over to the cafeteria and the two grabbed their lunches before Olaf made his way over to a table where another boy was sitting. His dark hair fell into his large, copper colored eyes. His skin was tanned, as if he spent countless hours under the sun and never got burned. He glanced up at Olaf, nodded at him, and then looked at Elsa.

"Who's this?" he asked bitterly.

"This is Elsa!" Olaf chirped, sitting down across from him. "Elsa, this is Sitron. He's my buddy from middle school."

"Hey," Elsa greeted.

Sitron didn't respond, merely continuing to eat his lunch. Elsa gave Olaf and uneasy expression and he returned it with an assuring smile.

"Sooooo, Sitron," Olaf tried. "How was fourth period?"

"Lame."

"…Kay…"

"What do you do here, Sitron?" Elsa tried for conversation.

Sitron shrugged.

"He's in band with me," Olaf told her instead. "He plays bass guitar, right buddy?"

"Mhm."

"You're not very friendly," Elsa said, pursing her lips. "What's eating you?"

"You hardly know who I am and you're talking to me like that?" Sitron snarled.

"Whoa, hey, I'm trying to make conversation," Elsa snapped back. "And you're a brooding mess with hardly anything to say."

"I don't have anything to say to you," Sitron said. "Olaf, why the hell did you bring this weirdo along? This is _Elsa_. She's the one who doesn't interact with anybody because she thinks she's better than them."

"…People say that about me?" Elsa's shoulders dropped.

"She doesn't seem like that at all to me!" Olaf defended. "She was very nice when she helped me with my papers. Give her a chance."

"She can join us for lunch as many times as she likes but don't expect me to like her," Sitron grumbled.

Elsa glared at him. "You don't even know me, either."

"Get used to this. I don't interact with stuck up brats."

"Well, I don't interact with jerks!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!

* * *

"I'm really sorry about him," Olaf said to Elsa as they walked to her next class together. "He's not usually… uh…"

"An asshole?" Elsa supplied.

"Yeah—no—uhm," Olaf grinned at her. "He'll warm up to you. I promise. It took him all of middle school to even call me his friend! I was just very persistent. I'm lucky you're so nice."

Elsa smiled back. "Actually, you're my first friend in a long time."

He nudged her playfully. "That's good to know, well, I mean—not about you not having friends, but I'm glad to be yours." They stopped in front of her classroom. "Well, I'm gonna go before I screw this up further."

She laughed and nudged him back. "You're not screwing anything up. You're the best damn person I've ever met."

And it became more and more true over the course of her freshman year. In spite of Sitron's nasty looks, Elsa sat with him and Olaf everyday for lunch. She was able to ignore them with ease, far too used to it from the glances Grandmother would shoot at her across meals—before Elsa took them up to her room and never ate a single breakfast, lunch, or dinner with them again.

One day after school, Elsa confided in Olaf that she wanted to be a rockstar. He expressed passionately that he, too, wanted to be one. They excitedly invested in a deep discussion about their favorite bands and singers.

"I want to take singing lessons," Elsa said sadly, looking out at the start of a sunset, her mother late picking her up again.

"Why can't you?" Olaf asked.

"My mother won't let me," Elsa sighed.

"Why not?"

"I dunno. Something about a rebellion brewing and stupid dramatics like that."

Olaf pursed his lips and hummed to himself for a second. "If you're willing to go against her," he said, "then I think I can set you up with free lessons with my folks."

Elsa stared at him. "You're shitting me."

"Nope! My mom gives singing lessons and my dad plays guitar. My whole family is full of musicians. Even my little brother is one! He's a drummer."

"For free?"

"Totally free."

"Dude… I think I found my best friend."

He laughed and clapped her on the shoulder. "Ditto, Elsa! You can come over Fridays once I get the okay. They're gonna love you, I just know it!"

Elsa started to take lessons from Olaf's parents, and met his younger brother on the first day she went over to his house. Marshmallow, was what he called himself, but he told her that, in truth, his real name was Marshall. Elsa had to do a double take when she met him, however, because she realized that Olaf was significantly shorter than Marshmallow. She wondered, for a brief moment before introductions, if Olaf had an older brother he forgot to mention.

Regardless of the previous confusion, Elsa found that Marshmallow was a very sweet boy and welcomed Elsa into the home. He was quiet, but endearingly so.

Olaf's parents were even more incredible than she had anticipated. Skyler, his mother and her singing teacher, greeted Elsa at the door with snickerdoodle cookies whenever she came over. Huxley, Olaf's father and Elsa's guitar teacher, made Elsa laugh until her sides hurt. The two parents were crazy about each other and were, for lack of a better word, hippies. Elsa adored them.

They made her yearn for parents like them, reminded her of a time when her parents actually loved each other before everything went wrong.

Over time, Elsa found a home in the Kollsvein household. A place where she could be herself, a place where she was allowed to thrive as a musician. Skyler and Huxley even understood Elsa's stifled surroundings and promised that she would never have to fear her mother finding out about her lessons. She kept lying to Idunn and Grandmother, telling them she had a homework club on Fridays at a friend's house, not caring that she was fibbing to their faces.

Occasionally Sitron would come over, days Elsa would not really enjoy since he was still bitter towards her. He would snicker at her clumsy guitar playing and mock her whenever she sang off-key. She would settle the score by punching him in the stomach after school on the following Monday.

However, on one particularly rainy morning, Elsa had forgotten her umbrella at home and was shivering on the curb, waiting for the bus to come get her. She had gotten in a nasty fight with her mother that morning and left the house hastily, grabbing everything but her umbrella.

She was wiping away tears when she felt the rain completely let up above her. Elsa lifted her eyes from off the wet sidewalk and gazed up at the figure holding an umbrella over her head.

Sitron spared her a glance and a small smirk before looking straight ahead. Elsa smiled tearfully at him and punched him lightly in the shoulder with the back of her hand in thanks.

They only bickered like siblings ever since.

* * *

"We should start a band," Elsa, now a sophomore, said one Saturday afternoon at Olaf's house. Somehow she managed to slip away from doing her chores and booked it to his place.

"Are you serious?" Sitron said from the desk chair.

"Yeah, I am." Elsa sat up on Olaf's bed. "And why not? We all have musical talent. We're the very makings of a band. I can sing, Olaf can play guitar, you on bass, and Marsh on drums. Fate made us friends so we can start this!"

"Els, it's very unlikely we'll become successful," Olaf said quietly.

"I thought you wanted to be a rockstar, too?" Elsa asked him.

He shrugged. "It was just a thought I had one day. Reality kicked me awake after a while."

"This _can_ be reality. Every great band had to start somewhere. C'mon, we can at least give it a try. Goof around a bit, do some covers, maybe do a few concerts in your garage for a couple of bucks. Couldn't hurt to try."

The boys exchanged unconvinced looks.

"Don't pretend you haven't been the least bit interested in making your mark in the world of music. I think we can do it. Even if we only release one single at the most, we made a tiny impression on this planet," Elsa said, starting to grin big. "If we try and fail, then at least we didn't give the opportunity up. But if we try and succeed, then it'll be great!"

Olaf started to nod at Elsa's words. "Yeah… yeah, you're right."

"You're damn right I'm right!" Elsa said.

"Imagine it! Me on the guitar playing in front of thousands—no, _millions_ of fans!" Olaf cheered. "And you on the drums, Marsh!"

"I think I can keep up a beat," Marshmallow smiled bashfully.

"Fuck yeah you can! You're one of the greatest drummers I've ever seen!" Elsa encouraged.

Olaf clapped Marshmallow on the back. "You'll see, lil' bro. There'll be people chanting your name. Fan girls swarming all of us, begging for autographs." He raised his hand in the air, as if it really was right in front of the pair of them.

"Fan girls?" Elsa said suddenly. "Why not fan boys too?"

"Well… It's cause you're gay, right Elsa?" Olaf said.

Elsa stared at him. "You… You know?"

"Sure I do! At least, I think I do. You always look at the girls instead of the guys. At first I thought that maybe you just liked the girls' outfits better but then I thought, Olaf don't be stupid." He beamed at her. "It's alright, Elsa! I'm one hundred percent for it!"

"Me too," Marshmallow added.

Sitron nodded in agreement.

Elsa was overwhelmed with emotion and she blinked back tears. Never did she ever have someone care about her and accept her the way her friends did.

"So… you wouldn't mind if I dated girls?" she asked quietly.

"Of course not!" Sitron grinned. "Just don't take them all from us."

Marshmallow and Olaf laughed.

"And besides, I'll be the one the babes are after," Sitron said. "The bass player to a hot new band? Count me in."

Elsa smiled. "So we're gonna do it?"

"It's worth a shot!" Olaf said. "Shall I grab the instruments? We can dive right in now!"

"Fuck yeah, bro!" Sitron yelled. "Let's go!"

"Wait, what should we call ourselves?" Marshmallow asked.

Everyone fell silent. Naming a band wasn't an easy task. They all sat and thought for a few moments, and then Elsa opened her mouth.

"Glacier?" she offered.

The boys cringed.

"I know, I know. It's a shit name but it'll be our name for now until we come up with a different one. A better one." She hopped off the bed. "C'mon, losers. Let's go make some fucking music!"

They ran out of Olaf's bedroom and down in the basement to grab some equipment. They then set up in the garage, tripping over wires and bickering about what goes where. Finally, the area was perfect for them to start practicing.

"Uh…" Olaf fingered his guitar as he tuned it. "What should we start with?"

"Elsa's the leader," Sitron said, nodding at her. "Ask her."

Elsa furrowed her brows at him. "Wait, what? I'm not the leader—"

"Sure you are! The lead singer is always the one calling the shots," Sitron shrugged. "I don't have a problem with it. Anyone else?" He addressed the room. Nobody objected, but Elsa was humbled. "Alright then! Els, what song should we play?"

"Do you guys know any No Doubt?" Elsa asked hopefully.

"Ooh, I do!" Olaf said excitedly. "I know _Hella Good_."

"That's an easy one. Marsh, you got this?" Sitron said as he started to pound out the bassline.

"Yeah, I think so." Marshmallow did his best to keep up.

Elsa bopped her head to the beat and gripped the microphone. She gazed out in front of her before closing her eyes.

"Whenever you're ready, Elsa," Olaf said.

"One moment," Elsa whispered.

She strained her ears and could have sworn she heard them chanting, whoever "they" were. But they were shouting her name. Cheering, screaming. A sea of people who came out to listen to her sing, people who cared, people who wanted to bask in her presence.

And maybe, just maybe, her father was one of those people in the crowd.

Elsa cracked open her eyes and, for a short second, she saw a theatre full of fans. She smirked and they hollered out praises and declarations of love.

"Alright. Let's do it," Elsa said before jumping into the song.

* * *

Glacier was short lived but semi-popular. Kids from their school came out to see them play in Olaf's garage and paid a couple of bucks each for the show. It lasted throughout Elsa's high school career but her mother and grandmother soon discovered where Elsa was going on the weekends. The forbid her from leaving the house near the end of her senior year.

It devastated Elsa that she could no longer see her best friends as often as she used to. Skyler and Huxley even tried to talk to Idunn and Grandmother. While Idunn was apprehensive to discussion, but seemed like she was willing to talk for a moment, Grandmother slammed the door in the couple's faces. Elsa watched them sulk away down the lawn from her bedroom window, holding back tears.

She didn't let that deter her. Elsa still wore her punk outfits, got several piercings from Sitron's older sister when she managed to sneak away, and had a couple of sexual relationships with other girls from school. While she experimented with boys for a couple of months, she never ventured past second base. She even developed a crush on one of her female teachers, a young British woman who taught English in Elsa's senior year, but Elsa eventually got over her school girl crush and came to appreciate Ms. Porter instead. Though she was going through all this and was slowly coming out of her shell around other people, she was still a prisoner in her home. More so than she used to be. It frustrated her, and her mother was determined to send her to college once Elsa graduated.

Elsa wouldn't have any of it. College wasn't the path she wanted. So she searched for people to take her along on a tour or something. Anything to get her away from her family for a long period of time. It wasn't until the day after she graduated high school did she hear of a small band going on a tour from the very same English teacher Elsa once doted on. Ms. Porter knew of Elsa's dreams and fully supported them, so she surreptitiously passed along the information to her student. Elsa met with the band and offered to be a roadie for the lowest possible pay, and they brought her on board, their only request being that she had to have some ink.

She got a snowflake tattoo on her shoulder. Grandmother nearly had a heart attack and Idunn screamed at Elsa, who sat there unfeeling. She glared at them the entire time they yelled. And as soon as they finished, she went up to her room since they were about to send her up there anyway.

In the dead of night, Elsa packed her backpack and jumped out of the window. She ran from her home, from her friends, from everything she knew. Elsa cried and smiled at the same time. She had spun around several times on her way to the bus stop, laughed out loud, and even sang to herself, because for the first time in a long time, she felt free.

But a couple of months later, Olaf opened his door to find Elsa standing at the threshold with bandaged hands, and eyes full of unshed tears.

"Can I stay with you?" she whispered. "I can't go home anymore."

Olaf didn't even have to ask any questions as to why she was there. He merely embraced Elsa and told her, "You're home now."

His family welcomed her with open arms and she remained under their care, never once calling her mother to let her know that she was back in the city.

* * *

"I want to change the name of the band," Elsa said, she and the guys sitting at their usual spot in Denny's. She was gripping a cup of coffee with her now gloved hands, and had been deep in thought while the others talked.

"Are we still doing that?" Sitron said, raising a brow.

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"Since now. I even wrote a song on the bus ride back," Elsa said, looking at them each in turn. "I think it's time we do this again."

"What are you thinking, Els?" Olaf wondered.

"Dry Ice. I want the band to be named Dry Ice." Her eyes drift down to her hands. "It's fitting."

"And your song?" Marshmallow said.

"It's called _Let It Go_. I promise you guys will love it," Elsa said.

Olaf patted her on the back. "I'm sure we will, Elsa. I can't wait to hear it."

And they did, and they performed it over and over until it was perfect. Sitron sent a home video they made of them playing _Let It Go_ to a friend of a friend… who eventually contacted Kai Morstad.

The next thing Elsa and the boys knew, Kai was at their doorstep offering a deal, a large man named Oaken who worked for security standing behind him, and a redhaired boy named Hans who was representing the amp sponsor. Dry Ice was soon spiraled into a whirlwind of success and starting to do openings for Indie bands, eventually more popular bands, and then they were on their own mini tour.

Elsa started to date Hans sometime during the start of the band's uprising in order to seal the deal between the amp sponsor and her band. He lived in a small mountain town in Northern California, but was willing to travel around with the band once they got big. Sometime after the tour was made official, Hans returned to Dry Ice's base in Wisconsin with a black eye and Elsa asked why he looked like he had a run in with a semi-truck.

"You should see the other guy," Hans mumbled, rubbing his cheek.

Eventually, Elsa broke up with him when he became too much to handle and when she truly accepted herself as a lesbian, but kept him around as a roadie since they couldn't afford too many hands-on staff members.

One day, their little tour bus—Sitron's old van at the time—stopped Hans' hometown of Arendelle, and Elsa met-

* * *

"Hey," Anna said from the doorway, knocking her fist on the frame.

Elsa looked up from the photo album in her lap. She was sitting in her old bedroom, looking back on a couple of memories that she had long since forgotten, the tour and everything else demanding her immediate attention up until then. Her father's funeral was yesterday, and she had to say goodbye to him one last time. Some of his ashes, however, now rested in a small, decorative box with his name engraved on it for Elsa to keep with her. The box was placed in the bottom drawer of her bedside table on the bus.

"Hey," Elsa replied.

"We're gonna start packing up so we can get to Chicago. You ready to go?"

Elsa glanced around the room, now stripped of some of Elsa's possessions she decided to take along with her.

"Yeah… I'm ready." Elsa tucked the album under her arm and stood. "I'm just gonna say goodbye to Mama."

"Okay. We'll be down in the bus waiting."

Anna turned to leave but Elsa grabbed her arm. The redhead looked up at Elsa for a split second before the blonde pressed a kiss against her lips.

"I love you," Elsa said sweetly.

"I love you too," Anna smiled. "See you in a bit."

As Anna left, Elsa stared after her. Yes, she had a book full of pictures and memories from a past she both loved and hated. A complicated, difficult past that has been her goal to come to terms with. But before her, she has a future.

She saw a future in Anna.

With one final look around the room, Elsa left, closing the door behind her. She walked downstairs and hugged her mother goodbye, telling her to wish Grandmother well. She met up with the band outside, the bus idling in place.

As they filed inside the metal monster that they called home, Elsa gave her old house a solemn wave in farewell, and received one back from Idunn, who was watching from the window, teary eyed and smiley at the same time.

"D'you think you'll ever come back?" Anna asked as Elsa stepped inside finally.

The doors slid shut behind Elsa and the bus roared to life, Oaken steering them away from the house and towards the road to Chicago.

"I don't need to." Elsa hugged Anna tightly. "I have a new home."

* * *

**Like it, hate it, whatever. It's here and it's gonna stay.**

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	30. Loser

**Without further ado, I bring you the 30th installment of this fan fiction.**

* * *

The next couple concerts were in Chicago, and everyone found themselves in a sort of automatic work mode. Ever since they left Wisconsin, there was an air of sadness, as though the death of Elsa's father was weighing them all down, joining the lead singer in her seemingly endless state of grief.

Elsa still sang her heart out and her band played without missing a beat, and Anna, Kristoff, and Sven worked the backstage world without batting an eye. They even stopped renting out hotel rooms and stuck to sleeping in the bus after shows. Kai was the one who had actually put a stop to it, claiming they'll have nice rooms in New York.

The drive down to Louisville was quiet. Everyone but Elsa sat in the front room, though their attention wasn't focused on each other. The television was blaring the news, but it was only Sven who was paying attention.

Elsa stepped out of her bedroom a few minutes later, pocketing her phone.

"Hey, I just got a call," she told the room, everyone looking her way.

"Congratulations," Sitron said. "Shall we throw a party?"

"It's about my father's will," Elsa snapped, glaring at him. He shut up and ducked his head. "I'm to meet with his lawyer in New York when we get there… The guy just called me and let me know." She sighed and sat down next to Anna on the couch. "I don't know if I can last that long, though."

"What do you mean?" Olaf asked.

"I felt so empty in Chicago. I felt like… like… like all I've worked for is for nothing."

"Elsa, that's not true," Sitron spoke up, guilty for making the sarcastic remark earlier. "We've come so far, and your old man was— _is_ so proud of you."

"I did a lot of this for him," Elsa said quietly, running her hand through her hair. "And now he's gone."

The rest of the group exchanged looks. Anna shook her head and took Elsa's gloved hand in her own. Her other hand reached for Elsa's cheek and turned the punk's head gently to look into the deep pools of icy blue.

"Elsa, I get it, it sucks so much and I know you're still hurting. But you shouldn't be doing this for him anymore. It's absolutely okay for you to take inspiration from him, but you and the boys have made it this far because _you_ had a dream. _You_ believed in yourselves, and now look at you guys! You're almost done with your first tour!" Anna smiled big. "Look at how far you've come. You are going to go even further."

"Yeah, Els," Olaf beamed. "You believed in our talents and you got us together."

"We couldn't have gotten this far without you," Marshmallow said.

"Without me?" Elsa chuckled darkly.

" _Yes_ , you. You're so important to all of us. And we're gonna kick ass in Louisville," Olaf said defiantly.

"Then we have Cleveland and Philadelphia and then New York!" added Sitron. "We're almost done! Then we can go home and you can relax all you want."

"We have to drop these three weirdos off first," Elsa nodded toward her crew. "Then we'll be heading back to Wisconsin."

"Wait a second, Sven and I can fly back home," Kristoff assured them. "Pabbie is gonna handle it."

"Yeah, so don't worry about us," Sven grinned.

"Well, then we have to drive Anna back out to Arendelle," Sitron said.

Anna's face fell. "I can't believe we're almost done…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Elsa whispered, kissing Anna's forehead.

"Okay, but we have to keep worrying about _you_ ," Anna said, glaring up at Elsa, though not unkindly. There was a sparkle of determination in her eyes, firmly believing in her girlfriend. "If we're almost done, then you have to buck up and get ready for the grand finale. I don't think your dad would want you moping."

"Yeah! He'd want you to kick ass!" Olaf cheered.

"And you're gonna kick ass!" Sitron added. "We all are. We're gonna show the world that Dry Ice is the best fucking band it has ever seen!"

"Our first tour is almost up and we've been doing great. Sure, we've had some hiccups but, hey, we wouldn't be here if it weren't for our amazing crew," Marshmallow reminded his bandmates, smiling at the three crew members in turn.

"Or, more specifically, Anna," Elsa said. "Before Kristoff and Sven showed up, it was just this little dork."

"I'm really glad I've managed to make an impact on this group of supposed punk rockers," Anna laughed.

"We're punk!" Olaf pouted.

"Riiiiight." Anna rolled her eyes. "So, Elsa, are you willing to hang in there until the tour ends?"

Elsa nodded. "You're right. We've got a few shows left. I should be able to make it." She took in a deep breath and got to her feet. "It still hurts."

"The pain is gonna be there," Anna said. "But that's why we're here. To help you through it. We're your family and we love you."

Elsa looked back at the band as they all gazed up at her. Her heart suddenly overflowed with a wave of emotion and gratitude toward this ragtag team of individuals. While Elsa was the reason Dry Ice even existed, the fact that they're where they were was because of how hard each and every one of them worked. After all Elsa had been through, she was eternally grateful to have a family like them.

A family.

Her last family consisted of Olaf and his parent's hospitality. But there was still something missing. Even while being cared for, she still felt as though she was imposing, and it ended up getting Olaf's family in trouble.

These guys—these ridiculous, frustrating, supportive guys—were the ones who actually made her feel like she belonged.

"I love you, too." Elsa found herself tearing up again. "All of you."

"Awh, Elsa is crying," Sitron teased lightly, getting up and hugging the lead singer. "What a softie."

"I'm going to sock you in your gut," Elsa growled, sniffling.

He slipped away, jogging back to his seat. "Noted. Right, sorry."

Elsa choked on a laugh and rubbed her eye. "Now, I gotta write a couple more songs. I'll talk to you guys in a bit."

They watched her head back into the main bedroom, the door shutting behind her.

"I think we broke Elsa," Kristoff chuckled.

"She's experienced more human emotion since she met Anna to now than when we knew her," Sitron smirked. "I think her walls have just crumbled down more and more thanks to the kid."

"Ah, there's still some punk left in her," Anna said, waving off the comment. "She's just having a rough time. She'll be back to her snide, sarcastic self in no time. You just watch. Come next week, you guys will be bickering and practicing and all that fun stuff. Trust me."

* * *

Kristoff gave Anna a list of things to do before the last concert in Louisville. Due to a last minute change, a new band would be opening for Dry Ice rather than the one they've have for the past two nights. Therefore, Anna had to make sure the equipment for Dry Ice was in the right place and the cues would be carried out in time for them to get on stage after their opening act.

Which, Anna noticed, was not that popular. Rage, as they called themselves, were relatively new, and their amp sponsor was not the same one for Dry Ice so that irked Kristoff and Sven to the point they refused to discuss who the sponsor was.

She didn't care, though. Anna just wanted to finish her many duties and then take a break in the bus. Last night, for the first time in a while, she slept in her old bedroom. For some reason, she just felt that Elsa needed more space. While Elsa didn't protest and said that she was fine with whatever Anna decided, Anna had trouble sleeping. She missed pressing against Elsa's body when the AC blasted too harshly on her. She wanted to reach over and drape her arm across Elsa's waist.

Another part of Anna did it because she realized that once the tour is over, she would return to sleeping on her own. Elsa would never want to move to Arendelle. She'd want to be closer to her friends and stay in her home state. Sleeping alone last night was practice.

Anna wondered if she and Elsa would even stay together once she was back in Arendelle.

Choking up, she moved along the checklist, making a note that she had to grab more Arrowhead water for Elsa lest the punk threw a tantrum. Just as she was about to head down the hall, she bumped into someone, sending her clipboard clattering to the floor.

"Oh, sorry!" Anna gasped. "So sorry. I'm such a klutz and I wasn't watching where I was going." She bent down and picked up her clipboard. "Honestly, I am—"

"Still the same," said a smooth, almost mocking voice. "You haven't changed a bit, have you, Anna?"

The hairs on Anna's neck stood up as she straightened. This wasn't real. It couldn't be real. But for some twisted, nightmarish reason, she found herself staring into the tan, lightly freckled, sideburned, green eyed face of her ex-boyfriend.

"Hans." Anna couldn't decide if she wanted to be afraid, outraged, confused, or all three. He wore a black collared shirt and dark, worn out jeans. In spite of Anna hating him, she knew that he could really clean himself up when he wanted to. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm the amp sponsor for the opening band," he said, his eyes locked on hers. "What are _you_ doing here? I didn't realize they let in pathetic mountain girls like you backstage."

"I didn't realize they let cheating liars in but here you are," Anna spat back.

Hans' calm disposition flickered and Anna proudly smirked.

"I don't know who you think you are, but—" he began.

"I'm your replacement," Anna said as she folded her arms across her chest. Ooh, she was going to let this douche-canoe have it.

Hans blinked, skimming her outfit and noted that this was _not_ the Anna he left back in Arendelle. She carried herself differently, as well, as if someone shot her with a heavy dose of confidence.

"My replacement," he repeated slowly, his lips curling into a mocking smile. "Is that so? What do you do? Fetch the water for the narcissistic Snow Queen?"

"I bet that's more than you ever did."

He scoffed. "Oh, please. I have years of experience compared to you. You're the sorriest excuse for a replacement that I've ever seen." He squared his shoulders and glared down at her. "What on earth do you have against me?"

"She gets up off her ass and does work, that's what," Elsa's voice snapped, the blonde casually walking down the hall to meet them. "Hello, Hans. Why the fuck are you here?"

"If you haven't noticed, Elsa, the amp sponsor for your opening act is my family's."

"Unfortunate for them," Elsa deadpanned.

"A business partner got us involved, you see."

"Then why isn't one of you competent brothers here to represent them instead of your ugly mug?"

"Ah, Elsa, you're just as charming as I remember you." Hans smiled thinly, ignoring her question and fearlessly meeting her cold eyes.

"It hasn't been that long, Hans."

"However long it has been, I can see that you're still an immature brat. Tell me this: why have you hired the inexperienced nineteen-year-old?"

"I have a name," Anna said indignantly.

"I hired her because she intrigued me," Elsa said simply, enjoying Hans' incredulous expression. "She's helped not just me but the rest of the band. She has gained a lot of experience from working with us."

Hans rolled his eyes. "I'm surprised your shows have lasted this long. Anna is such a klutz that she breaks practically everything she touches. How has your giant glass chandelier remained intact, let alone your simple equipment?"

"We happen to have other stagehands that help us whenever we come into town. We also hired another great roadie and a reliable techie."

"What, from your amp sponsor? Again, how have you lasted this long?"

"Hans, you think you're so fucking special, but the reality is, you were the worst roadie I have ever had the displeasure of crossing paths with. I'm still disgusted that I dated you."

Anna suddenly got an idea, grinning mischievously as she wraps an arm around Elsa's waist. Hans furrowed his brows at them, Elsa automatically draping her arm over Anna's shoulders without even thinking.

"I'm glad I helped you out with that, too," Anna said silkily.

Elsa chuckled. "I guess you did."

"What?" Hans growled.

"Oh, haven't you heard? Elsa and I are dating," Anna smirked at him. "Looks like your two exes are banging, Westerguard. I guess you're notorious for turning girls gay."

 _Not true_ , Anna reminded herself, but watching Hans' ego crash to the ground was the most satisfying thing she had seen in a long time.

"Not to mention you cheated on us with each other," Elsa added. "But hey, we have you to thank for that, too. If I didn't dump you and if Anna never found out, maybe we'd still be dating your sorry ass."

Hans was starting to shake, his jaw set, and his face a dark shade of puce. Anna couldn't tell if it was jealousy or disgust, but she didn't really care. Whatever it was, seeing Elsa and Anna hanging on each other was pissing him off and she loved it.

"Elsa, you're going to regret ever firing me," Hans growled at the blonde. "You've already humiliated me in front of my father by doing such and Anna has done the same after—"

"I punched you square in your jaw," Anna finished.

"I will see you crash and burn," he said lowly, glaring at Elsa.

"What are you gonna do? Bitch and moan on forums and play the victim?" Elsa mocked, rolling her eyes. "Right, Hans. I'm so scared."

"You should be. You can only be on the top for so long." He leaned in her face and snarled, "You just need a tiny push to come crumbling down."

"Bite me," Elsa whispered sassily.

Hans' forehead clouded over as he stared down at Elsa, then Anna. He straightened and stormed away. Elsa smirked, unraveling herself from Anna and smoothing out her jacket.

"I'm going to alert the opening act that their sponsor is a prick." Elsa pecked Anna's cheek. "See you in a bit, baby."

Anna watched her walk away, glad to see the Elsa she knew back and as sassy as ever, even if it was just for a brief moment. The ginger looked down her checklist before going on to do her next task. The show that night had Anna back in the audience, so she had a lot to get done backstage so Kristoff could run it smoothly without her help. The stagehands simply did not know how Elsa liked her shows to be, so Anna and Kristoff really had to hustle and bark out orders. Sven was busy on the catwalks and in the sound booth, running rehearsals and making sure the show would have all of the appropriate cues.

Behind the scenes, the three sole members of the Dry Ice crew ran the show like puppet masters. And while Hans was right to say that Anna was inexperienced, she had learned so much over her time spent with the band.

It didn't go unnoticed by Elsa, though. She watched Anna run across the stage, through the theatre, and around backstage, noting her handiwork. During a break, Elsa sat on a large amp when she caught Anna directing several stagehands on stage left. Olaf was tuning his guitar a few feet from Elsa.

"What do you think of Anna?" Elsa said, the redhead out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" Olaf blinked. "You're asking me this now after how many months we've spent getting to know her? Not to mention, she's your _girlfriend_."

"No, I mean… as a roadie."

"Oh. I dunno." He shrugged and set down his guitar onto the stand nearby. "She's pretty good considering. Why?"

"She wants to be a teacher, right?"

"Elsa, what the fuck are you trying to say? Aren't you supposed to know all this about her anyway?"

"I'm just thinking," Elsa mumbled.

"You're being vague."

Elsa pursed her lips and glanced over at him. "I guess."

"What the fuck is Hans Assface Westerguard doing here!?" yelled Sitron as he stormed on stage. "I just saw him back there with some chick from our opening act!"

"He's the amp sponsor for them," Elsa said dryly.

"Then why is he _here_ when we're sponsored by Bjorgman's company?" Sitron snarled.

"Dude, I don't even want to deal with it right now," Elsa sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose with her forefinger and thumb. "I'm still emotionally exhausted from everything. Anna and I kind of dealt with him, but otherwise, I want to focus on the show and then get the flaming fuck out of here and never see his sideburned face ever again for as long as I live."

"Right, well…" Sitron crossed his arms. "Still, it's shitty to see him. I want him as far away from us as possible."

"I'll get Oaken to guard you if you want" Olaf teased.

Sitron glared at him. "Shut up."

Elsa blocked them out as she focused on Anna, who was approaching the stage. She was talking with another techie, indicating where certain cues will be in the show. Sven is behind them, adding information into the conversation.

If someone saw Anna right now, they wouldn't be able to tell that she was a student at her local community college a couple of months ago. She carried herself with an air of professionalism, and Elsa admired her for it.

She knew she had to call Kai to tell him what she was thinking about, but it was worth the effort.

And it possibly would secure Anna's future.

* * *

Elsa's phone woke her up the following morning, the bus swaying on the the highway as it carried Dry Ice and its crew to Cleveland, Ohio. Anna groaned and covered her head with her pillow as Elsa blindly searched for her phone in the tangle of sheets that pinned the pair of them to the bed.

"What?" Elsa growled, finally picking up the annoying piece of technology, too sleepy to see who was calling.

"Elsa, are you watching the news?" Kai's frantic voice said, making Elsa's brain wake up a little more.

"No." Elsa sat up, rubbing her eyes. "I just woke up."

"Well, turn it on. _Now_."

"What channel?" Elsa had to hoist herself out of bed—making Anna grumble and complain some more—her eyes now searching for the remote somewhere on the desk.

"It doesn't matter. It's everywhere."

Elsa finally found the remote, turning on the television in her bedroom. Elsa sat at the edge of the bed, Anna slowly sitting up herself to see what was going on. The punk flipped through the channels until she landed on the news, her face plastered everywhere on the screen. The breaking news announced the following:

THE SECRET BEHIND DRY ICE LEAD SINGER ELSA'S GLOVES REVEALED

Elsa stared at the screen, her stomach dropping. Anna's vision had cleared enough to see what was on and her brow furrowed.

"What the hell are they talking about?" Anna said, sitting beside her girlfriend.

"No. That's impossible," Elsa croaked.

"Apparently it's not," Kai said. "Someone spilled your secret and has been slandering your good name."

"I—"

"The lead singer of popular band, Dry Ice, has been keeping a big secret from her fans," the anchorman said with his phony smile and hair smothered with hairspray. "Ever since the name Elsa got big, everyone has been questioning the meaning behind the mysterious gloves she and her band members wear. At first believed to be a fashion statement, in an interview from last year, they seemed like something more."

They cut to a clip of that very interview, Elsa sitting with some journalist and toying with the leather covering her hands. The differences between Elsa then and Elsa now weren't easy to pick out, but Anna noted the lack of her _Let It Go_ tattoo on her arm. This was probably before the song got to be what it was now.

"If it's hot in here," the journalist was suggesting with a light chuckle, "you should take those off."

"Oh, no, I never take these off in public." Elsa had laughed, shaking her head.

"Is it a part of the punk image?"

"Something like that."

The clip ended and the news anchor returned on screen. "Since then, the gloves became more than a mere 'image'. Elsa has refused to discuss why she doesn't take them off in public, and nobody in her band ever came forward to discuss why, until last night when a radio station's open forum received a call from an anonymous individual who used to work closely with Dry Ice. Let's take a listen."

Elsa vaguely heard Kai on her phone, her eyes glued to the television. The only thing that was keeping her grounded was Anna's hand gripping her own.

" _Yeah, uh, so I used to work with Dry Ice and I want to tell you Elsa's image is all bullshit_ ," a voice that sounded very much like Hans' said in the audio clip. " _The gloves? It's literally nothing but to hide scars she got from being a roadie. She plays it to be this big, special thing, but really she's just ashamed of her stupid mistake._ "

"So, she's just been hiding scars?" the radio host asked.

" _Oh, yeah. No big deal right?_ "

"It's kind of anticlimactic."

" _Exactly. It's all about image and getting fans. She talks a big game. She's not that great and is actually incredibly rude to her crew._ "

"Really?"

" _Absolutely. She thinks she rules us like she's the queen, and she even forces the one female roadie she has now to hook up with her just to fulfill her insatiable sexual desires._ "

A gasp, "You're kidding!"

" _Nope. I have photographic evidence I can send you._ "

"Please, bro. Anything else about Elsa?"

" _Uh, yeah. She might say that being yourself is good, but the real façade is what she is on stage. Elsa is actually fake. The gloves are nothing, she doesn't care about her fans or crew, and has told me she's in it for the money. Don't let these gloves distract you from the fact she's a one-hit wonder._ "

Anna was shaking with rage when the boys burst in, all of them pajama clad like Elsa and Anna were.

"Are you seeing this!?" Olaf roared.

"Yes," Anna ground out, eyes stinging with hot tears of fury.

"What the fuck does he think he's gonna get from this?" Sitron shouted, his hands curled into fists.

Marshmallow had angry tears rolling down his cheeks, but there was a protective fire in his eyes and Anna was almost afraid of him.

"The anonymous caller also submitted several pictures of a peek backstage of Elsa with the apparent female roadie coming out of a utility closet, both looking like they were doing more than looking for some cords for the show," the anchorman said.

Three pictures came on where Elsa was peeking to see if anyone was looking, pulling Anna out, and then parting ways to head to their next destination.

"We were just making out," Anna said defensively, earning a look from the band. "Don't get mad at us! Hans took the pictures!"

"We're not," Sitron said quickly. "We're sorry… it's his fault, you're right… fuck, I hate him."

Elsa was still in a state of shock, paralyzed to the point that Kai gave up on talking her back to reality and had hung up, hoping to call her after he handled the expected backlash of this wave of gossip that had spilled onto the shores of tabloids. Elsa hadn't noticed. Her hand was still holding her phone to her ear, frozen in place.

Kristoff and Sven, who had no idea what was behind Elsa's gloves, kept glancing down at her naked hands. They were furious at Hans, of course, but couldn't help but feel like they should have been told about the scars after all this time. They kept their mouths shut, though, because now was not the time to ask for details.

"So it looks like Elsa is not who she says she is," the anchorman said. "Will she come out and confirm any of this, or will she continue to hide behind the façade her ex-employee claims she has. We will continue to update you when we get more information. For now, we—"

Fed up, Anna had turned off the TV, positively livid.

"Elsa?" Olaf said gently, getting on his knees in front of her. "Elsa, can you hear me?"

"Oh my god, it's _everywhere_ ," Sitron said, scrolling through his phone. "Everyone is talking about it. It's trending on Facebook, the fan blogs on Tumblr are a mess, and there's a trending tag on Twitter calling Elsa a—"

"Sitron, you're not helping!" Anna said sharply.

"Right. Sorry."

"Elsa, listen to my voice," Anna whispers gently. "Come back to Earth. We need to talk about this."

Elsa slowly lowered her phone, her arm growing tired, but she didn't speak. Her mouth refused to work with her brain, her eyes glossy as she stared into nothingness. Her band waited for her to say something, all looking toward their first in command. When a few beats went by without her speaking, eyes fell on Anna.

"What do we do?" Olaf asked her.

"M-Me?" Anna stammered.

"Yeah, you. You usually have an idea of how to fix these things."

"I don't know." Anna's voice was weak. "I thought he was just bitter but… I can't believe he would stoop this low. He's telling lies. I don't know _how_ to stop this. The tabloids will eat it up, and idiots will believe them. We've all seen how these things work."

"What _can_ we do?" Marshmallow whimpered.

"I… I guess just keep going. The real fans won't turn on her," Anna said. "And we can hope that this blows over."

"Are you forgetting that Elsa is a celebrity? People will drop her once one rumor comes out, you said it yourself," Sitron said bitterly. "It happens with every big name, no matter who it is. Elsa is going to go through a shit show."

"But Anna has a point," Kristoff finally spoke up. "Elsa has true fans."

"For how long?" Sven said in a small voice. "Sitron is right, too."

"Hans wants it to seem like Elsa is full of herself," Anna said.

"She can be," Sitron mumbled, earning a smack on the arm from the ginger immediately.

"Stop!" she yelled at him. "Now is not the time to make jokes!"

Sitron blinked and bowed his head, as though he was a peasant bowing to a queen. He silently apologized and focused the rest of his attention to her. Anna forced Elsa to look at her.

"Listen to me," she said. "Listen to me and you do as I say, understand?" All she received was a blank stare. Anna took that as an answer. "Hans is a first-class-asshole. We all know that. Don't worry about his cowardice in hiding behind anonymous like shitheads on Tumblr. He's trying to knock you down but you can't let him. You're already so low after losing your father, and he's trying to ruin you. He can't unless you let him, Elsa."

Elsa blinked slowly, looking into Anna's teal eyes. There was a small sparkle in them, showing Anna that she was listening to her finally.

"Okay," Anna said gently. "Now, you're going to do your show in Cleveland and blow them all away."

"What if they believe him?" Elsa whispered.

"Then they don't deserve to hear you sing."

"How can I bounce back from this?"

"By being you. By showing them that you're still the same you they've always seen."

Nothing but hopelessness filled Elsa's icy eyes. She tore her gaze from Anna and looked down at the pink scars that smothered her palms. Anna covered them with her own hands.

"Hey, we can do this. _You_ can do this," she said.

* * *

For the first time, Elsa was bombarded with paparazzi when she was trying to make her way into the theatre in Cleveland. Some random people even yelled at her for being a womanizer and a user. Oaken did his best to shield Elsa from the harassment, but Elsa still heard them. The band fended off eager writers from shitty tabloids, refusing to answer any questions about the explosions of rumors. Even Anna was approached with questions about how it felt to be Elsa's call girl, everyone recognizing the mane of red hair as she followed after the band with Kristoff and Sven, the three carrying equipment.

Stagehands weren't enthusiastic in helping the band set up that day, eyeing Anna and even asking her if she wanted to hook up since she seemed like a "loose chick who can get down with anyone" according to some guy. He ended up with a missing tooth, and Anna ended up with bloody knuckles.

Kai called again, alerting a drop in ticket sales, claiming that some people have been demanding refunds. Elsa was so heartbroken that she didn't have the will to go on stage, anxiety ridden in a little room backstage that she would be booed off due to rumors about her that weren't true. She cried into Anna's shoulder, Anna rocking her back and forth as the boys took all the equipment back to the bus.

On the trip back to the bus, the crew was taking in the unused equipment, and ignoring the uproar of fans—or ex-fans—booing Elsa and her last minute cancelation as she tried to follow her crew inside. Anna suddenly found herself swarmed violently by paparazzi again. It was worse than coming in, and one of the paparazzi got handsy with the redhead, reaching for her and grabbing her arm tightly. When Anna yelped in pain, Elsa grabbed the photographer by the shoulder and sucker-punched him in the face.

Security flooded over to protect Elsa as the rest of the paparazzi snapped photo after photo of the furious punk, Anna trying to yank Elsa toward the bus. The rest of Dry Ice yelled at the paparazzi to get away from them, but they were all practically blinded by the flashes of the cameras. Finally Oaken hustled them inside, helping Kristoff and Sven take the rest of the equipment back.

Two mornings later, on the road to Philadelphia, in a roadside stop, the band found a few new magazines. The headlines screamed at them: "Elsa Gone Mad" and "Dry Ice Burned Local Photographer" and "Bruises Join Scars Under Gloves". Pictures of Elsa in a rage were plastered on each cover, and one even featured interviews from fans who were quick to turn on Elsa.

Anna, Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow bought every single one and burned them a couple of miles away. Back in the bus, Elsa was curled up under her desk, sobbing into her arms. Not only was her name being dragged in the mud, but the person she cared about most was suffering underneath the filthy hand of gossiping journalists.

The witch hunt had begun, the once untouchable Elsa was now at the mercy of the public.

* * *

**Thanks to those who have stuck around patiently! Love you for it.**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time!**


	31. Fight Song

**Chapter 31, let's go! Hans was a dick, Elsa came crashing down. What's gonna happen now? Here's the update I've been struggling with. Sorry it's late.**

* * *

The backlash of the slew of rumors left the band in a terrible place. Kai had to handle the media on his own for a while, trying to set up a press conference in the city where they have taken refuge after they were run out of Cleveland by the angry fans and hungry journalists. The rest of the band stayed in a hotel to avoid the onslaught of the paparazzi. While the others tried to come up with solutions in the room the boys shared, Elsa was huddled under the blankets of her bed, refusing to leave the room.

Anna, on the other hand, was actually surprising the boys with her resourcefulness. She had been helping Kai as best as she could with phone calls. It was she who managed to get a press conference, but Elsa didn't want to participate. The boys decided to do it anyway, facing the music without Elsa. They hoped that their voices would speak well for Elsa's situation. It was better than sitting around and doing nothing.

It was a small conference—a radio conference, really—but a conference nevertheless. It was with the very same station that received Hans' call, and they were the only ones eager to get the band on the air. Not very comforting, but Anna was taking anything at that point. Anna made sure Kai got the news out to everyone, Pabbie helped them out as well by putting out a statement of the company's continued support and respect toward Dry Ice in spite of the rumors. Kristoff said they lost a couple of clients, but Pabbie told them it was no love lost.

During the conference call in the morning, the radio hosts Mickey and Oswald absolutely put them through the ringer. The boys hardly got a word in, trying to talk over the hosts as they were drilled with question after question. Anna was on too, but didn't speak up. She just sat in a silent rage at the radio hosts, nodding or shaking her head at the band when they said certain things. They looked to her for directions, but they knew that the hosts were not going to be merciful. Tears were rolling down her face as they made jabs at Elsa, playing cheesy sound effects after every zinger. All those sound effects did was stab Anna in the heart.

When the call ended, she buried her face in her hands. "I fucking hate the media," she groaned.

"We're coming out of this looking worse than before," Sitron snarled, standing up and going out to the balcony to have a smoke.

"Anna, we have to do something more than this," Olaf said. "Radio talk shows aren't gonna work forever. All they did was talk over us."

"It's all we can do," Anna said sadly. "It's all I could find. . . It's like nobody wants to hear our side."

"This is what the media does," Olaf sighed. "They feed off of rumors and tabloids, and their consumers eat it up twice as fast. Elsa seemed so immaculate for so long, and now that she finally has some shit on her, the news went mental."

"Any _good_ news?" Anna begged, looking between him and Marshmallow.

"Twitter has been kinda nice," Marshmallow said quietly.

"Define 'kinda'."

"There are the diehard fans out there defending us. Your cousin Rapunzel has been our fiercest warrior," Marshmallow informed her with a small smile. "She's gotten some hate herself but her comebacks are. . . well, they're brutal."

Anna chuckled to herself. "They would be. Remind me to call her soon and thank her."

"I'll sign anything and everything she wants," Olaf promised.

"She'll appreciate that. But you might find yourself losing the ink in pens pretty fast." Anna stood from her seat and stretched. "I'm gonna check on Elsa."

The two said goodbye as Anna entered the room next door. Elsa was still a ball under the blankets, the room freezing cold and dark. Anna moved across the carpeted floor and sat on the edge of the bed. She reached out and touched the pile of blankets, hoping she was somewhere near Elsa's shoulder or arm. The blankets shifted only slightly but then went still.

"Els, you gotta get up and face this," Anna said gently. "I know it'll be a shit-storm, but showing that you're strong will look better for you."

Elsa was quiet and unmoving.

"It sucks. It does," Anna tried to be sympathetic. "It's awful and I'm so mad that all this has happened to you. But you're doing exactly what Hans wants you to do. He wants you to suffer and be in pain. You know what I think you should do?"

Again, Elsa remained unresponsive. Anna took in a breath and inched a little closer to the top of the mound. She could just barely see some platinum hair poking out of the sheets.

"I think you should go to New York and do one last show and blow them all away. Show them you're strong, and that Hans is full of it. You're letting him win, and we can't let him do that. Please, Elsa. Please listen to me and _trust_ me when I tell you that there are people out there who still love you." When she didn't get a reaction, Anna snapped and threw the covers off Elsa, tired of playing nice. She had stayed up late with this girl over this stupid mess and tonight would be the last night. Yes, staying up with her over her father passing away was one thing, but this demanded fixing today. "Elsa Andersen! Listen to me right now!"

Elsa's brow twitched and she glanced at Anna out of the corner of her eye. Anna didn't even bat an eye at the greasy hair, oily skin, and dried tear streaks. Instead, she forced Elsa to lay on her back and stared into those empty pools of icy blue.

"Let me tell you something, Elsa. Life sucks and it's not fair. I know that you've just been kicked while you were down, but it's time to get up and be an adult. You can still mourn the loss of your father, but you can also fight back against Hans' and his sad attempt at revenge. You are so much better than this. You're acting like you're alone, but you're not. We're all here for you. But you're acting like a loser right now. Guess what, though? You're _not_ a loser. You know what you are? You're obnoxious, you're self-centered, you're goddamn pretentious, and you've been the bane of my existence ever since I joined you on this stupid tour bus with a gang of geeks you call a rock band. But I will not let you ruin your own career. Now get up off your ass and make everyone out there worship you the way they should!"

Elsa blinked a couple of times, almost afraid of Anna and the fire in her eyes.

"Do you understand me?" snapped Anna.

"Yes, ma'am," Elsa said in a raspy voice.

Anna softened. "Good. . . I'm sorry I yelled. I just needed to get through to you somehow."

"It's okay." Elsa looked to the side. "I have been acting like a loser, haven't I?"

"Like I said, you were kicked when you were down. I'd be moping, too. But I would eventually get up and face this." Anna brushed some hair out of Elsa's eyes. "And I know you're strong enough to do it."

"Has New York been cancelled?"

"No, it hasn't. The ticket sales have dropped some, but overall it looks like it'll be packed."

"Really?"

"Yes. You see? You still have fans who love you unconditionally. Scars or no scars. Remember what your dad said? Scars are badass! Flaunt them Elsa! Show them that you shouldn't be ashamed of who you are and the mistakes you made. So what the big reveal was a little anticlimactic? What were they even expecting? You to have tentacles or something stupid like that?"

The corners of Elsa's mouth twitched for a second before she frowned again. "I'm afraid."

"I'm sure. I would be, too. However, facing your fears and accepting who you are is what you preach, Els. It's what you're all about. So practice what you preach."

Elsa reached up with bare hands and cupped Anna's face between them. "I hate what they said about us. . . about _you_. I'm so sorry."

"I can handle it," Anna chirped. "Know why?"

Elsa shook her head.

"'Cause I know that it's not true. I can't let that get under my skin. They have no idea what you and I have. They have no idea how much I love you and all you are." Anna leaned down and kissed her. "I know it's terrifying, but I believe in you. After all, I am your number one fan."

Elsa pressed her forehead against Anna's. "He got me at my lowest moment."

"He did, but you have nowhere to go but up, my hero."

The punk looked into the roadie's eyes. Then she let out a small smile. "Remember when you hated me?"

"I still hate you, punk," Anna teased. "Now, come on. Let's get you showered and fed. Life's been throwing punches at you for the past few days, but you're gonna throw some right back!"

* * *

When Anna told Kai to keep New York's concert afloat, he seemed skeptical. He said he didn't want them to lose anymore money because of this slip-up, but Anna promised him that they wouldn't. In fact, she predicted an increase in tickets by people hungry for a big Elsa meltdown.

"But they won't get it," she had said over the phone. "She'll do great."

"You better be right about this, or you're going to pay for it," Kai had said roughly before hanging up. Anna didn't blame him for being so curt, but it did make her sweat a bit.

The band had left the hotel a day ago, and now they were zooming down the highway to New York. They still had some time to kill before the concert, but they wanted to arrive prepared and ready for their final concert of the tour. Anna was doing all sorts of research in her bedroom, making a to-do list of what they could do in retaliation. Hans deserved the worst, and Anna was making sure she was going to give it to him.

She asked Elsa if the band had a lawyer so they could sue him and the Westerguard's company for slander, but Elsa said they didn't. Knowing they had plenty of money to hire one, Anna chalked that up to handle later. She made sure Rapunzel and Eugene were rallying some fans to call Hans out by name, exposing him for revealing Elsa's personal information. So far only some people believed them, but it was a good start for them all. Rapunzel reported that the Westerguard's Twitter following actually dropped some, which gave Anna some hope. When Rapunzel told her people were still Tweeting and sharing the photos of her and Elsa, Anna brushed it off. Her own reputation was the last thing she was concerned about.

Elsa was floored by all Anna that was doing. She was handling the band's business as they rehearsed in the front room, and Anna wasn't even told to do anything of the sort. It was all on her own time and own accord.

Sometimes Anna took a break from all the research to watch the band rehearse. She even met with Sven and Kristoff to discuss what will be done as far as tech went. All the band had to worry about was sounding their best.

The evening before they crossed the state line into New York, Anna and Kristoff were grabbing dinner for everyone at a Taco Bell not too far from where they parked. They ignored the stares from people who no doubt recognized Anna from every single site that churned out news and the pictures Hans had taken of she and Elsa. Kristoff, however, would send the occasional glare that read "back the fuck off" over to anyone who stared for a little too long for his liking. As they waited in line, she looked up at Kristoff and felt the need to say something about what had transpired.

"Sorry you were told the way you were," she said.

"Huh?" He turned his head to meet her gaze. "What are you talking about."

"The gloves. . . the scars."

"Oh, that. It's no big deal."

"It is. You're a part of the band and you deserved to know at some point, just on Elsa's terms."

"Look, I don't think any of us anticipated this to happen, but now Sven and I know. It's just the way it is."

"It wasn't right."

"Of course it wasn't, and Hans'll get what's coming to him."

"Oh, boy, you have _no_ idea. I've been researching lawyers like it's nobody's business."

"Damn, Anna. You're manager material."

"I'm what?"

"You know. . . manager?"

"Like Michael Scott-type manager?"

Kristoff laughed. "No! Managing the band."

"Oh! Oh, ha, no. I'm not a manager. I'm just taking care of business that Kai hasn't had time to do."

"Kai is just their agent. He gets them gigs and signs them with companies. But _you_ have traveled with the band and have dealt with more bullshit than Kai has. I think you should consider being a manager. Kai needs someone like you on the road."

"I can't. . . I have other ideas on what my career will be."

"What? A teacher, right?"

She nodded.

"That's not a job for you, and I mean that in the best way," he told her honestly. "You're sweet and you'd be a great teacher, but you've been handling things here like a fucking boss. Dry Ice needs a manager that travels with them, and I think you'd be perfect. You keep them in line, and you've been helping them through this crisis."

"Kristoff. . . It's a big responsibility and I don't think I can handle that. I'd probably just mess it all up."

"You're selling yourself short, my friend," he said as they stepped up to the counter.

Anna fell quiet as Kristoff rattled off the orders for the band. A manager position. . . wasn't this all supposed to be temporary? Being a roadie was just her summer job. She had made some great money on the road, and she thought that once she returned to Arendelle, that would be it. She'd say goodbye to the tour, the band, and even to Elsa. Most likely. At least, that's what she told herself would most likely happen. It broke her heart just thinking about it.

 _I'm not manager material_ , she thought, frowning. _I'm just a kid who's making it up as I go on._

* * *

If the circumstances weren't so heavy on her shoulders, Elsa would have taken a moment to admire the Big Apple as they entered it the next afternoon. How she thought she was going to enter the city was completely different in her head several months ago. She imagined herself standing in front of Madison Square Garden, pride swelling in her chest, telling herself that she finally made it. She was going to perform in her final venue and make the world scream her name. No drama, no trouble; it was just a dream come true.

Instead, Elsa cowered in the bus as she waited for the day of the concert to come. She had done all her vocal warm ups for the day, had some tea with lemon and honey, and rested in bed. She sat alone in the bedroom, blinds closed. She was staring down at the scars on her hands, a lump in her throat.

These had brought her nothing but trouble since she got them. It hurt for so long whenever she tried to play piano or guitar. She was severely out of practice when it came to the latter instrument that she didn't even bother anymore, even though she missed it. The gloves weren't really a sham, but Anna had been right when she asked "what were they expecting?" What _were_ the expecting? Racist tattoos on the back of her hands? Prosthetic hands and fingers? A fucking _card trick_? She knew she had made them a bigger deal than they had to be, but people kept asking about them, especially after that one interview they brought up during the news report. She just had to open her big fat mouth.

Elsa reached for her gloves and shoved them back over her pale hands. She drew her knees up to her chest and sighed. She had never not looked forward to a show quite like this. She had a bottle tossed at her once, so who knows what people would bring to this one.

"Scars are badass," her father had told her, and Elsa wanted to believe him. Maybe she was hiding them for so long that she buried her shame and acceptance under the leather along with the scars.

After a beat, Elsa ripped off the gloves and stared at her scars intensely. Her brow furrowed and she repeated "scars are badass" to herself. Her lip trembled as she stumbled over the phrase after the hundredth time. She clenched her hands and closed her eyes.

A knock sounded on the door and Elsa gave them permission to come in. Anna opened the door and then shut it behind her. She was balancing two cups in one hand and a bag of goodies in the other. She came to sit beside Elsa, and the blonde relieved her of a cup.

"It's tea for your throat. I brought doughnuts, too." Anna kissed Elsa's cheek. "How are you feeling?"

"Anxious," Elsa sighed.

Anna placed down the bag of doughnuts so she could rub circles in Elsa's back. "I know, but you're not alone."

Elsa sipped her tea. "I just. . . I hope things work out."

"They will. Your career isn't going to end this early. It'll end when you retire a very rich, iconic, and successful woman."

Elsa leaned on her. "I'm glad you're here. I'm glad you believe in me."

"Do you need me to be out in the crowd during the show?"

"Yeah. I'll need to focus on you."

Anna pulled Elsa closer and kissed her temple. "Just look at me during the show and you'll be fine. It's what I'm here for, after all. Just rest yourself for now, okay?"

"I am. I'm trying to calm down."

Anna glanced down at her girlfriend's bare hands and then at the gloves by her feet. "I think this is the longest I've seen you without your gloves. I mean, you and I have slept together while they were off but you haven't worn them since we left the hotel. Even during rehearsals."

"I guess I've just been ashamed of wearing them all this time and not living up to the hype."

"Oh, Elsa, we've been over this. Who cares? They're just hands. People were expecting too much out of one little thing." Anna reached over and patted her bare hands. "They finally got their answer on what was under their gloves and they're just bitter it wasn't what they expect. If anyone is being dramatic, it's them for making this such a big deal that they turn on you."

Elsa sighed. "I guess."

Anna helped her lean back against the wall, and they started to drink their tea in peace. They watched some TV and relaxed together, soothing Elsa greatly as the day fell away.

* * *

On an empty stage, looking into an empty audience, Elsa stood. It was the day before the concert and her bandmates were helping the crew carry in the equipment. Elsa had requested to be alone, to meditate some. She could hear the sound of the riggers up above her as they prepared the lights. There was some muffled noise from backstage, too, but Elsa wasn't paying it much attention.

She had her gloves on, yet they seemed to burn her skin. It was an ironic feeling, she thought. She kept the gloves on anyway. To distract herself, she focused on her surroundings instead. Anna told her to think of the positive things in her life, and Elsa was standing on one of them.

Even though she had been through some tough times in her childhood, in the early stages of her career, and the past couple of weeks, she was _here_. She was standing on a stage, about to live her dream and live her father's old dream. There were so many people out there who only thought of doing this in passing, and there were so many people who never made it this far. But there Elsa was. She smiled at the feeling of joy bubble in her chest. She missed that warmth.

She thought of other good things like her friends. Olaf, Marshmallow, and Sitron were her brothers. They were the first to accept her for who she was, and they were the ones who followed her down this crazy path. She was lucky that they stuck by her even when she was acting like she ruled the world. Although, they told her she was actually acting less like that, which was fine by them. That had made Elsa laugh her hardest for the first time in days.

Above all else in her world, there was Anna. The best thing that has happened to her in a long time. Sure, their relationship started off rocky and Elsa was honestly going to use her as a focal point the entire journey because Anna countered her ego. Yet, the redhead intrigued her and got under her skin in the best way possible as they got to know one another. It wasn't a traditional relationship, but their meeting wasn't traditional either. It was refreshing to Elsa, and Anna was also accepting of her and all of her flaws.

Without Anna, they probably wouldn't have made it this far. From getting the band back together, keeping everyone sane with coffee and food deliveries, and just being the little ray of sunshine she was, Anna was really the glue of the group.

Elsa closed her eyes and focused on the feeling of the stage beneath her feet, the hum of activity backstage. She strained her ears and imagined that the stadium was full, brimming with people, with _fans_. They were cheering for Elsa, chanting her name. Singing along with everyone song the band played. Nobody cared about her gloves. They just wanted her to sing to them, to give them a show they'll never forget.

Tears formed in the corners of Elsa's eyes as she opened them slowly. Her imagination filled every single seat, and she could hear and feel the nonexistant music around her. She took in a deep breath and started to sing a cappella, the only real ears hearing her belonging to the crew above and backstage.

She sang her hit solo, the song that boosted her into her career. The song that was beloved by millions, and the song that annoyed millions more. But Elsa _loved_ it. This was her anthem, and they could never take that away from her. Not Hans, not the media, and not the fans that turned on her. It was the song that was inked to her skin forever. She'll love the song for the rest of her life.

Tears dripped down her cheeks as she bellowed it with all her heart, activity from the crew stopping as they watched her. Some were struck dumb in admiration, others were just pleasantly entertained. Elsa didn't care if anybody was watching. She was singing for her scars, for those she inspired, for her friends, for her band, for Anna, for her father, but, most importantly, for _herself_.

She wasn't going to hide anymore.

* * *

The following night was the big night, the final night. One more show to end the tour, and Elsa was breathing through a panic attack backstage in the dressing room. She could hear the rumble of feet and voices outside, and this was the most she had panicked before a show. Olaf and Sitron were quietly talking to one another. Both were nervous, but not as nervous as Elsa. Rather, they were nervous _for_ her. Marshmallow was pacing and glancing at Elsa every so often, and then he would share a glance with the other two boys in the room. They wanted to do something to calm her down, but they were at a loss.

Sometime later, as the band waited for the opening act to finish, Anna strode into their dressing room.

"You guys ready?" she asked them, shutting the door behind her.

"No," they all answered.

"Did you rehearse for nothing?" When they didn't reply, Anna lifted her brows. "Come on, guys! You're gonna kick ass out there tonight!" She sat on a chair and beckoned them over. "Anna pep talk time. I've been giving them a lot lately but let this be my last one, okay?" They all walked over to her and gave her their undivided attention. "Listen: you're the most popular band right now. Music lately has been a lot of solo artists, and I miss the comradery of a _band_. I'm not saying that there aren't any amazing bands right now, but you guys are what the greats in the beginning created. You're the product of collaboration. You're young, and people our age need a band to grow up with like our parents did. You're organic, you're fresh. But you're not perfect." She smiled slightly. "Sorry, but you're not. Nobody is. Still, you guys are talented and wonderful and. . . I just love you a lot, okay? You've just had your names dragged in the dirt, but that doesn't mean you can't rise back to the top. Hans will be punished, I promise. But for now, show him and the rest of the haters that you, all four of you, will never surrender to tabloids and rumors."

"Anna. . . you're the best damn roadie we've ever had," Olaf said weakly. "You really are. Holy shit."

"Who knew a kid from a mountain town could bring us this far," Sitron added.

"We love you, Anna," Marshmallow sniffled, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Thanks for all you've done for us, kid," Elsa said sincerely. "And we want to thank you in the best way possible. Just name it, and we'll do it.

"I don't need anything." Anna shook her head. "It's been a privilege traveling with you all, and I'm really sad to see it end so soon. Not counting the current circumstances, this has been the best summer of my life. I'm gonna miss this."

"We're gonna ask you to tour with us again," Olaf promised.

"Oh, I. . ." Anna couldn't bring herself to say no to their eager faces. "Maybe," she said instead.

"We'll talk later," Elsa said, sensing her hesitance. "For now, I need to down some water and stop freaking out." She looked to her band, anxious again. "What if they boo us?"

"We'll play through it," Olaf said in determination. "They paid to hear us play, so we'll play. Let them boo if they try. We're louder, anyway. And if they _do_ drown us out, I'm sure Sven will crank the volume to ear-splitting levels."

"Fuck yeah!" Sitron cheered, clapping Elsa on the shoulder. "Anna's right. We're not perfect, but damn, we're awesome. Elsa, you're gonna make the world fall to its knees!"

"So people keep telling me," Elsa mumbled.

"It'll happen," Marshmallow assured her. "Elsa the Unbreakable! Elsa the Powerful!"

"All hail Queen Elsa!" Olaf shouted at the top of his voice.

Anna and Sitron laughed, and Elsa let out a small smile. There was a knock before Kristoff poked his head in. They all turned to him, their tiny celebration deflating as reality seemed to creep inside behind their techie.

"Guys," he said, "the opening band is about to do their last set. Places."

"Thanks, Kris," Anna said, standing up. She looked at the four in front of her before opening her arms. "Group hug?"

They surged forward and embraced the roadie, holding on for a moment. Anna stepped back and didn't hide the tears forming in her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you guys," she croaked. "All of you. You're gonna make Hans eat his words. The show must go on, right." She thrust her hand in front of her. "Dry Ice on three?"

They all grinned and smacked their hands on top of hers. "One. . . two. . . three. . ." they chanted in unison. "Dry Ice!"

"Break a leg," Anna told them before striding toward the door.

As she was about to make her way out to the audience, Elsa called out to her. Anna did a one-eighty, seeing Elsa walk over. Behind her, the boys were splitting up to get into place.

"What is it?" Anna said.

Without answering, Elsa kissed her deeply once she was in front of Anna. The crowd outside cheered for the opening act as the lips of the two girls met, and it made Anna feel like they were cheering for them. The band made its way backstage and the lights dimmed so the boys could get into place. Elsa, sensing the timing, pulled away slowly before pressing her forehead against Anna's.

"I love you," she breathed.

"I love you, too. I gotta go so I can be in the crowd—"

"Wait. Can you hold something for me?"

"Sure."

Elsa, taking a deep and shaky breath, slowly peeled off her gloves and handed them to Anna. Anna stared down at them with wide eyes and an open mouth before looking up at Elsa. But Elsa was already making her way to side stage. Anna wanted to call out to her, but astonishment blocked her throat.

Elsa put on her wireless mic, and closed her eyes for what seemed like the millionth time. She waited and the intro to their first song began. The audience was quiet. She counted to five. . .

Then she walked into the darkness of the stage, gloveless and ready to face the crowd one more time.

* * *

**It's not done. Hang in there.**

**Two more chapters, my friends. Until then—**

**Fav/Follow/Review**

**See you next time.**


	32. Closing Time

**Note: Concerts can be hard to write.**

**Thank you for being patient, loves.**

* * *

Sweat was beading on her forehead, her naked palms were sweaty, and her heart was pounding against her chest. Life moved in slow motion, her boots hitting the stage floor, the surrounding area dark and quiet. She could hear her breath as she moved, and the hush of the crowd in front of her was deafening. Were they waiting, or did they leave?

Elsa closed her eyes as the intro music continued on. It was the only thing that kept her grounded. She faced the audience and opened her eyes, shoulders rising and falling with her breath. The music got to the part where she was supposed to sing, and she did, but the light were still off. She was opening with a song by No Doubt, _Settle Down_ , in tribute to her love of them and the inspiration they gave her.

Once the music picked up, the lights flashed on and Elsa was greeted with a sea of people. Everyone started screaming, but not in malice. In excitement. Her heart was no longer pounding but _racing_. It was far less anxious than before, that's for sure. These people in the crowd were _fans_. Pure, die-hard fans. The fans that had her back, that were still there in spite of everything. The boys were just as stunned and excited as she was, exchanging grins with each other and almost playing even better than before.

Immediately, Elsa got into her usual groove; swaying her hips, dancing, and landing every single note. She felt odd not having her gloves on, but also free and loose. She felt confident enough to run across the end of the stage and high-five every single person screaming and cheering in the front row. When it dawned on some of them that they had touched bare flesh, they grew even more excited, proud of their idol for taking off the gloves.

As the song moved on, she grew more and more comfortable. She was _fucking back_ and better than ever. Nothing was going to knock her down. Anna was right: nobody, not even Hans, was going to make her career end early.

Speaking of Anna, the red head was still slack jawed side-stage. Kristoff had appeared at her side mid-song and shared an expression of shock. He recovered first and smiled at her.

"You good?" he asked.

"Uh. . ." Anna gawked. She looked up at him. "Holy shit?"

"Yeah, no kidding. Should I call Oaken to get you in the pit?"

"Actually, I think she'll be okay." Anna finally smiled at her girlfriend, who was dancing with Olaf. "She's a big girl."

"Alright. Just let me know if you need me."

"I will."

Kristoff clapped her on the shoulder and went to prepare for a small set change. Anna leaned against the wall and watched Elsa. They locked eyes briefly and Anna winked at her. That sent a surge of love toward the blonde, and she ran to the end of the stage and jumped up and down as she sang. That got the crowd jumping in synch with her. Her energy was contagious, and everyone was eating it up.

"Hello, New York!" Elsa shouted once the song ended, and the response was intense. The stadium seemed to shake with the shouting and cheering of the crowd. Elsa clapped her hands, a big, dopey grin on her face. "I fucking love every single one of you! Thank you so much for coming tonight! Let's have some fun tonight, huh?" Olaf and Sitron took their cues to play _Waking Up in Vegas_. "This song takes me back to the first concert of this tour in a little place called Las Vegas. Sing with me!"

The voices of the audience rose with Elsa's, but hers was more powerful than all of theirs combined. Somehow, Anna noticed from where she was standing, the crowd seemed to grow more excited, the lights became brighter as though Sven was trying to reflect Elsa's mood, the three boys were playing their best, and even the backstage crew was dancing and bobbing their heads to the songs as they passed. Anna watched on, heart swelling with pride and love for Elsa.

Every sway of her hips, grin on her face, and note hit flawlessly sent her soaring ever higher. Anna was sent back to when she first saw Elsa perform back home. The energy was balanced, the same. The euphoria of the beginning of the tour to the end of the tour. Elsa intended on going out with a bang, and she was succeeding beautifully.

Anna once looked at Elsa with malice, thinking she was the most overrated thing on the planet. She had refused to fall alongside the crowd and fawn over Dry Ice. Now, and she still can't believe it, she was their biggest fan. _Elsa's_ biggest fan.

After a couple of more songs, Elsa brought the energy down some by raising a bare hand for silence, like a queen commanding her people. They obeyed, anticipating what she was going to say next. She took in a breath and looked out into the dense population of the stadium, time slowing down for another second. What kind of reaction was she going to get now that she's just talking to them? Would they respond positively, or turn on her once again? Using the high she was rolling on, she finally found the words and started to speak.

"You might have noticed that I'm not wearing my gloves tonight," Elsa said seriously. The reaction was only a couple of claps and murmurs, as though the crowd was unsure of how to react. Her confidence fell some but she pressed forward since she didn't know how she even _wanted_ them to react. "I'm sure you've all heard the rumors about me. I want to apologize for them. I'm sorry that these," she spread her arms, as though she was trying to embrace the audience, exposing her scars, "weren't exciting for you. I. . . I don't know what people were expecting, but this is it. This is all me. And I'm proud that it's me." That got the crowd applauding. "Scars are not something to hide. Embrace your scars. They make you you. They're not always ideal, but hiding them hurts you the most. I'm not going to pretend they don't exist! I have to face them!" The crowd erupted in praise. Even Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow were clapping for her proudly, and her fear dwindled with each beat of the applause.

Elsa walked around the stage, still speaking. "Look, this wasn't the ideal end to the tour—these rumors, I mean. The guy who spread them was an ex-employee. . . and an ex-boyfriend." The crowd booed, but Elsa could tell they were geared towards Hans, especially when she said, "Right? Isn't that fucking _lame_?" The boos turned to cheers on her behalf. "He's not a good man, and frankly, I don't think I'll be doing business with him or his family ever again. Boys?" She looks at her bandmates. "What do you think?"

"Hell no," Olaf nodded in agreement. "He's a douche-canoe."

"I bet he's crying that the concert didn't get cancelled," Sitron snickered into his mic, making the audience laugh.

"You're probably right," Elsa chuckled. "Let's show our lovely audience how much we appreciate their support."

That was the cue for _Applause_ , and the crowd ate up every lyric. Then she sang _Pour Some Sugar On Me_ , telling them all that it was in honor of her high school English teacher that encouraged her to follow her dreams, admitting her fleeting affections at the time. Sometime later, her eyes landed on Anna as she watched them speak from side stage, still smiling affectionately.

"I think," Elsa said to the crowd, but was still looking at Anna, "I'm gonna have some fun." Anna squinted at Elsa, who merely grinned.

The intro to _Do I Wanna Know_ played and Anna's eyes widened. Kristoff, who had returned to her side not too long ago, snorted into his fist.

"I'm gonna need some cold water," Anna told him weakly.

"You got it," he laughed before jogging off.

Elsa put on quite the show during the song, and it drove not only Anna crazy, but the rest of the crowd as well. She was back to her usual grinding as her honeyed voice sang the song as seductively as possible. Anna would have passed out if it weren't for the bottle of water, and Kristoff patting her back with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Using all the energy the concert gave her, Elsa even got on her back and gyrated the air as she sang. Anna choked on her last gulp of water, and the crowd went wild.

After that song, Elsa made sure to pump up the crowd again with _Fuckin' Perfect_ and _Shut Up and Dance_. Anna glared at her, but was smiling, when their eyes met again as Elsa basked in the cheers and applause from her beloved fans. Elsa's face turned slightly serious, and she called for silence once more.

"Now, there's one more rumor I need to address. . . Remember when I punched a paparazzo in the face for grabbing my roadie, or as our dear rumor-mill put it, my whore? Well, that's the most disgusting rumor we heard in all of this." The boys nodded darkly, and Anna raised her brows in surprise. "That girl is not a whore. In fact, she's innocent in all of this. A by-stander that is just trying to do her job. But what about those photos, you may think. Well, I don't force her into anything. Want proof? She's here tonight." Elsa turned her head toward Anna and jerked it slightly, asking her to join her on stage.

Anna blinked, looking at Kristoff. He shrugged and gestured her to the stage. Anna handed him Elsa's gloves before slowly making her way on. The lights instantly blinded her, having never been on the stage when it was fully lit. She could hardly make out the faces watching her, but could feel every single eye locked on her. They started to clap politely, albeit with some confusion.

"This is Anna," Elsa said with a smile, grabbing her hand as Anna came to a stop by her side. "She's my girlfriend, and I'm in love with her."

Like a sonic boom, the crowd exploded with excitement, the initial uncertainty gone. Anna was winded and laughed awkwardly. She flushed as Elsa pulled her into a side hug. The boys all ran over and hugged her, too.

"She's the best fucking roadie ever!" Olaf yelled.

"She's the reason we're still here!" Sitron told everyone proudly.

"Our staff doesn't get enough love," Elsa grinned. "We have two other great members named Kristoff and Sven, so give them a round of applause!"

Kristoff merely stuck a hand out side stage and waved, making laughter ripple through the crowd. Sven flashed the stage lights to show his presence before returning them to normal.

"I love you," Elsa mouthed to Anna, leaning her forehead onto Anna's.

Anna giggled and shook her head. "Show off."

"Should I sing to her?" Elsa asked the crowd, and got instant approval.

"Wait, what?" Anna said audibly, and the mic near Elsa's mouth caught it.

"You heard me." The boys returned to their places and got ready. "I mean, we know what the next song is gonna be, but I want it to be all you, baby."

"Elsa—"

Elsa lifted her mic up and kissed Anna, in front of God and everyone, and even though the crowd was going crazy, Anna couldn't hear a thing. She melted in the cheesiness of the moment and kissed Elsa back. The band started the intro to _Sweet Child O' Mine_ , which was long enough for the girls to share a deep and pleasant kiss. When they parted, Anna was beet red but beaming. She shyly lifted her hands over her mouth, not knowing what to do in this situation. Elsa lowered her mic back to her lips and lifted Anna's hand in the air, joined with her own.

"Chant her name!" Elsa ordered, and the audience complied.

" _Anna, Anna, Anna!_ " was the reply, and Anna was stunned.

Elsa started to sing to her and dance with her. Anna was laughing, following Elsa's cues and letting herself loosen up. This was beyond anything she imagined she would be doing in her life, but there she was, dancing with a rockstar on stage, and the rockstar was none other than her own girlfriend. Rapunzel, Anna thought, must be freaking out in her room over the live-feed.

Elsa made sure that Anna was having fun, showering her with love and attention as she sang her heart out to her. When they danced, they did their goofy little dances they often did in their hotel rooms or in Elsa's bedroom when the boys were none the wiser or absent from the bus. They would play songs on blast and just be dorks for a while before they ran out of breath and couldn't dance anymore. Anna couldn't help herself and was singing along, though her voice wasn't heard over the music and, of course, Elsa's powerhouse singing.

When the song was over, Elsa kissed her one last time before saying, "thank you," in her ear. Anna kissed her nose, waved shyly at the crowd, who all cheered at her, and returned side stage.

"Well shit," Kristoff said.

"I think I just crossed something on my bucket list that I didn't even know was on my bucket list," Anna panted.

"Did you have fun?"

"I did. . . I had a lot of fun."

"I'm glad you did," snarled an all too familiar voice.

Anna and Kristoff turned to see Hans storming over, his face contorted into an ugly scowl.

"Excuse me, but who you bypass security?" Anna spat.

"And how did you get here so fast?" Kristoff asked.

"The band I sponsored had a gig here—" Hans started, but Anna cut him off.

"Is that past tense I hear?" she said gleefully.

"Yeah! Your fucking girlfriend told the entire world that I did what I did, so when they saw that on the live-feed, they fired me!"

"Fun fact: Elsa never used your name," Kristoff pointed out.

"It doesn't matter! They knew it was me! And I'm going to see to it that her career ends once and for all." He started for the stage, but Anna grabbed him back and gripped the collar of his shirt.

"You listen to me right now," Anna growled, her eyes flashing so dangerously that it clearly reflected Elsa's influence on her. "You take one step on that stage and you'll regret it for the rest of your life. You stay away from my band and my girlfriend. Kristoff—call Oaken."

"On it." Kristoff activated his earpiece.

Anna kept going on Hans. "You have no right to make her life any more miserable and difficult as it has been for the past couple of weeks. I'm going to see that you never touch them again, do you understand me?" Hans swallowed hard but Anna didn't let up. "I asked you a question. _Do you understand me?_ "

"Y-Yes," Hans croaked.

"Good." Anna released Hans right into Oaken's grip. Oaken scowled down at Hans, who was shrinking with every passing second. "See to it that Hans is escorted far from here."

Oaken nodded and dragged Hans off. The adrenaline left Anna's system and she deflated, letting out a long breath. Kristoff stared at Anna with a newfound respect.

"Damn, Anna," he said, impressed.

Anna ran a hand through her hair. "I don't know what got into me."

"Manager instincts?"

"Don't start that again, please."

He shrugged. "I'm just saying."

Anna shot him a look and he shut up. They turned back to the concert, which was still going strong. Elsa and the boys didn't notice a thing, keeping their fans well entertained.

The final song was, of course, _Let It Go_. Elsa stood in the center of the stage, letting her voice carry over the audience and loving the fact that they were all singing with her. All around the world, unbeknownst to her, her fans watching the live-feed were singing just as passionately with her. Elsa paused a moment before the final verse.

"I want you to sing with me. Who wants to come up here and sing?" Elsa asked. "Kristoff, can you grab me a mic?"

Kristoff took one from a nearby tech table, walked onstage—earning a round of applause—and handed Elsa the mic after testing it. He waved to the crowd before disappearing side-stage.

Immediately, the audience tried to gain her attention once she started to search for her new singing partner. Elsa pulled up a girl from the pit no older than nineteen and handed her the mic.

"Whats your name, sweetie?" Elsa asked.

"Belle."

"Alright, Belle, do you think you can sing with me?"

"It's a dream of mine."

Elsa laughed. "Awesome, then! Give it up for Belle! Boys, hit it."

The boys played the first verse for Belle, who sang beautifully. The crowd supported her the whole way, and she was blushing with joy when she finished.

"Awh, thank you, Belle! Stay up here a second." Elsa grabbed a couple more people, who all got their chances to sing the first verse.

Elsa then grouped them all together and held the mic aloft for them to sing in unison. When they finished, Elsa thanked them and had a nearby security guard safely escort them back to their spots.

"I think we have time for one more person to sing. Or two? Anna, Kristoff, do you want to join us for the grand finale?" Elsa said, gesturing for them to come on stage.

"Bucket list!" Kristoff chimed at Anna before running on.

Anna laughed, following after him. Anna stood on one side of Elsa and Kristoff stood on the other. Sitron took his place beside Kristoff and Olaf bumped hips with Anna. Elsa wrapped her arm around Anna's waist and waved her hand to get everyone to start singing the final verse.

This was a joint effort, Elsa had decided. She couldn't have gotten this far without her fans, her band, or her crew. They all deserved to be in the spotlight tonight.

All of Dry Ice, and all of Madison Square Garden, sang _Let It Go_ together. And when they all chanted "the cold never bothered me anyway" one last time, the entire place shook with cheers and screams. Elsa coaxed her friends to bow, waving to her fans.

"Thank you so much, New York! I love you!" Elsa hollered.

The band and the two crew members left, and the lights finally dimmed. Once they all entered the dressing room, the group exploded into tearful excitement, embracing each other and talking over one another. The tour was over and they finished it with great success. When Sven came into the room, he joined in on the fun.

Elsa took Anna in her arms and kissed her over and over again, earning bouts of giggles from the roadie.

"Thank you for everything, Anna," Elsa breathed.

"You did it all on your own," Anna insisted. "I'm so proud of you."

Elsa pressed their foreheads together and caressed Anna's face with her bare hands. "I did it."

"You did it," Anna repeated, beaming.

"I love you, kid."

"I love you, too, punk."

As the band started to head back to their bus to be transported to their hotel for the next two days, they were greeted outside by die-hard fans chanting Elsa's name. Marshmallow lifted Elsa onto his shoulders so she could see just how many fans came out. Elsa choked up and waved, blowing several kisses their way. He put her down when they reached the bus, where they all had another celebration inside, Oaken guiding the bus along the busy New York streets.

* * *

"What are you doing here?"

Elsa turned around in the water of the pool to find Anna standing at the edge. It was way past midnight, and Elsa managed to talk her way into getting the pool all to herself for a little alone time. Her body ached from the concert and the cold water soothed her muscles.

Anna had grown tired of waiting for Elsa to come to bed, so she had asked the woman at the front desk where Elsa had gone. She was directed to the pool and also given access once she showed her crew member badge to the concierge.

"I'm just hanging out. You okay?" Elsa said, floating on her back.

"Yeah." Anna sat down and dipped her feet in the water. "You?"

"Well, my adrenaline rush has certainly gone down. I'm nice and cool, though. The water helps."

Anna nodded. "I see. I can go, if you want."

"No, please. Stay with me." Elsa smiled. "Why don't you come in?"

"I don't have a swimsuit."

"I'm in my bra and underpants. Nobody is around, who cares? Come on, baby."

Anna sighed with dramatic exasperation, as though Elsa's request was incredibly taxing. She stood up and took off her shirt and jeans before jumping into the water. Elsa beamed and swam over to where Anna was surfacing.

"Ooh, this _is_ nice. I haven't been swimming all summer."

Elsa wrapped herself around Anna and kissed her nose. "Neither have I." Elsa tucked a strand of wet hair behind Anna's ear. "Thanks for coming on stage tonight. I hope it wasn't too overwhelming."

"It was at first, but it was fun. I was really proud to be your girlfriend. I can't believe I got all that applause. I was expecting some boos."

Elsa laughed. "Nonsense. Their queen is in love and I think that's more important to them than their love for me. I have pretty selfless fans."

"You really do. Rapunzel blew up my phone after our kiss. I didn't have it on me during the concert so when we were driving over here, I saw all her texts. All caps."

"Of course."

"My parents even tuned in. . . my mom texted me a loooooot of 'omg's."

"Is that so? Well, I can't wait to officially meet them when we return to Arendelle."

Anna frowned. "Yeah. . . about that. What's gonna happen to us when we get back?"

Facing the music was terrifying, but Anna needed to bring it up. She needed to know if she and Elsa were going to stay together or if this was going to be their last hoorah. The last thing Anna wanted was to ruin this perfect night with a discussion about reality, but it would put all her thoughts to rest.

"What do you mean?" Elsa said, lifting a brow.

"I mean, are we going to still be girlfriends when I return home?"

"Of course we are. Why, what's up?"

"It's just. . . I broke up with Merida because I can't do long distance. I want to be able to see you everyday. I know you left your mom's place in Wisconsin and I know you've lived with the boys for a while, but I still have roots in Arendelle. I want to stay home with my family."

"Well, it's a good thing I'm moving to Arendelle, then, isn't it?"

"I guess—wait, what? You're doing _what_?"

"I'm moving to Arendelle. What? Did you honestly think I wasn't going to live in the same city as my girlfriend?"

"But. . . but. . . what about the boys?"

"They go wherever I go. But they probably won't move to Arendelle for a while."

"You _hate_ Arendelle."

"I do not. I think it's a quaint little city, I just poked fun at it to bug you when we first started to tour. I've already looked at some places to rent. Are you okay with that?"

"I. . . Elsa, you don't have to do this for me."

"I _want_ to be in the same city with you. In fact, I want to live with you. I've grown quite accustomed to having you in the same bed as me. Will you move in with me when we get back?"

"Really!?" Anna's eyes were as big as dinner plates.

"Really, you nerd."

Anna pressed a powerful kiss to Elsa's lips, eliciting a goofy grin from the punk. Anna kissed Elsa all over her face, grinning as well when she finally moved away.

"I would love to!"

"I also have one other question."

"Oh my god, please tell me you're not proposing, I'm not ready for that."

Elsa burst out laughing. "Oh, god, no! I mean, I think I will one day, but no. No, no, it's actually a business opportunity. I was talking with Kai and the guys, and I wanted to know if you'll be our manager?"

Anna blinked. "Did Kristoff put you up to this?"

"No? Has he been saying the same thing?"

"Yeah, he has. A _lot_."

"Then he knows you've got what it takes, too. Anna, you're manager material. Kai is only our agent but we need someone on the road with us always."

"Why can't Kristoff do it?"

"Because he's a good techie, and he and Sven are a team. I want _you_ to be the manager."

"I have no experience."

"Sure you do. You just spent your entire summer traveling around with us as a roadie. You'll get to boss us all around with even more authority than you have now."

Anna bit her lip, unsure.

"Look, if you want to do good by us, I'll pay for some business classes and such for you to attend for two semesters and hook you up with an intern or two," Elsa offered sweetly. " _Then_ do you think you'll have some extra experience?"

"Would you really?"

"If that's what it takes to get you on board."

Anna sighed. "Can I think about it?"

"Of course."

"Okay. Thank you."

"You've just kept us all together on the road. You've handled certain matters beautifully. I don't want anyone else as our manager."

"So who will take my place as roadie?"

"That would ultimately be up to you. You'll be in charge of the crew."

Anna found herself smiling. "I might know someone just right for the job."

"See? Look at that! You're already thinking like a manager."

Anna splashed her. "Oh, stop."

Elsa laughed and let Anna go. They swam around for a while before retiring to one of the hot tubs, where they allowed jets and steam to hide the fact they were getting a little naughty beneath the water. Elsa had pulled Anna into her lap, and they exchanged long, lingering kisses until they finally decided to wrap up and go to bed.

They bundled up in towels, grabbed their clothes, and returned to their room where their fun in the hot tub continued beneath the sheets.

* * *

Elsa had met with her father's lawyer before they left for their drive back to Arendelle. The band went to collect things from a storage unit and pack some items in Anna's room since she wasn't using it anymore. A lot of what Adgar had in his unit was very useful to the band, so they made sure to keep it. Other stuff Elsa had to sell like some old clothes that the guys didn't want.

They also had to bid goodbye to Kristoff and Sven at JFK since they would be flying back home now that the tour was over. Anna was an absolute puddle of tears when she hugged them both goodbye.

"Before you go, I gotta tell you something," Anna said to Kristoff, wiping her eyes.

"What is it, Miss Emotional?" he teased affectionately.

"Your amp name sucks. Tell Pabbie to change it to Rock 'n Troll because it's funnier and has a nice ring to it."

Sven laughed. "I like that!"

"Me too," Kristoff said. "I'll keep that in mind." He moved on to hug the others goodbye, and the band watched as Kristoff and Sven entered the terminal and vanished from view.

Anna sniffled, feeling Olaf pull her into a warm hug.

"Relax, kid. They'll be our techies forever. You'll see them again," he assured her.

"It's just really hard to say goodbye," Anna whispered.

"We know," Sitron said. "It'll be tough saying goodbye to you."

"Don't!" Anna wailed. "Don't talk about that right now, okay!? I'm not ready for that either."

"Yeah, Sitron, what the fuck?" Olaf said, tightening his grip on Anna, protecting her from the bitter reality that was coming from Sitron. "Let the poor kid get over this tragedy first."

"You guys aren't helping at all," Marshmallow deadpanned.

Elsa rolled her eyes at them. "Come on, losers. We have a long drive ahead of us."

They all piled back into the bus and Oaken hit the road. Anna made sure to spend plenty of time with her little family as the days went by. She and Elsa didn't need to do too much since Elsa intended on moving very soon, but the boys and Anna did all they could. She played video games with them, hung out with them in the booths, or grabbed lunch with them whenever they stopped by briefly to stock up on supplies.

Several days later, they were pulling into the Arendelle limits. Anna's bags were all packed and although she was sad to say goodbye to the tour, she was happy to be home. She and Elsa would be apart for a little while as she got everything situated, so the goodbyes were far more heart-wrenching than she wanted them to be.

The bus stopped in the very same parking lot where Anna had boarded the bus for the first time. Oaken helped Anna put down her bags, and she took the moment where she was waiting for her cousin to come get her to address the band.

She looked at Sitron, who was giving her his usual lopsided smile. He had just finished his cigarette so his shirt still smelled like ash. Anna didn't care when she embraced him. She thanked him for being her protector, for being a friend, and for helping her see the light. He told her that he cared deeply for her, and if she ever told that to anyone he would kill her. Anna laughed, telling him too bad she was going to tell the entire world.

She turned to Marshmallow next. He was, like her, a blubbering mess. For such a tough guy, Anna adored that he was a big ol' softy. His hug was bone crushing, but Anna invited it. He cried about how much he was going to miss her and that he was so happy she joined them. Anna felt her own tears grow more as she said she was happy that he was her friend.

Olaf yanked Anna into a hug once he got the chance. Anna clung to him, holding onto the best hugger ever. He really had become one of her best friends over the course of this tour, and she was sorry to have to say goodbye for as long as she had to. He told Anna that he loved her and was going to miss her like crazy. Anna responded likewise.

Finally, Elsa. Even though they were eventually going to move in together, it wasn't going to be for another month or so. It was goodbye for now, and Anna didn't think she was ready. She pulled Elsa into a deep kiss, hiding her tears. Elsa let her own tears fall and didn't try to wipe them away when they parted. Elsa promised to keep Anna updated on everything, and Anna merely nodded, unable to speak.

She stepped back to look at them all. They were tearful but smiling, nothing but love and thankfulness radiating from Dry Ice. Anna heard Rapunzel's car pull up behind her, but her feet stayed glued to the ground.

"I'm gonna miss this," Anna sniffled.

"We are, too," Olaf said.

"You really are the best thing that has ever happened to us, kiddo," Sitron said.

"Thanks for being our roadie," Marshmallow said through his tears.

"The boys will visit us, don't worry," Elsa assured Anna.

"I know, but. . . I liked being on the road." Anna's eyes widened. "Oh my God. If I'm your manager—"

"You'll get to do this all the time," Elsa said. "But you still have classes you're gonna take to help you out in the long run."

"I mean. . ." Anna gave the boys a once-over. "I don't want to miss my family too much."

"So, you'll be our manager!?" Olaf gasped.

"Next year, when I'm ready, I will be."

The entire band surged forward and wrapped Anna in a group hug. Anna laughed and hugged them back as best as she could.

"You guys are nerds," Anna told them, her voice muffled.

"We love you, too, Anna," Sitron chuckled.

Anna was soon released and gathered her things. She retreated to Rapunzel's car and threw her stuff in the back before sitting into shotgun. She hugged Rapunzel tightly.

"I missed you," Anna said.

"I missed you!" Rapunzel said.

"I'm surprised you didn't come out to fangirl over them," Anna smirked.

"You were having a moment. I'm sure I'll see them again." Rapunzel waved at them through the window, and they all waved back. "Besides, you being home is more important to me."

"Thanks for getting your priorities straight," Anna giggled.

"Let's get you home. I know your Mom and Dad are very excited to see you."

Rapunzel started pulling the car away, but Anna craned her neck to gaze longingly through the back window. They were all still waving goodbye, and Anna blew them kisses.

* * *

Two tour buses idled in front of Anna. One was for her new crew. It was a smaller bus than the main one, but it was comfortable and willing to accommodate four people and a driver. She had collected some willing recruits from some ads she placed online and from her own city. Rapunzel was a willing volunteer of course, and she even managed to convince Eugene to tag along. Anna got the attention of siblings Moana and Maui, who had seen the ad online and were interested in building up their resumes with exciting experiences. They were a great start to her staff, and Moana even had some tech experience to assist Kristoff and Sven in their lighting and rigging. Maui was incredibly strong so he was placed in helping move the chandelier and heavier equipment with Oaken. Rapunzel and Eugene were not only tasked in helping with setting up the stage, but they were ready to run errands for the band. She even got a new driver named Philip.

The other tour bus was the original Dry Ice bus, and the band was about to go on its first international tour, starting with several locations across America. They just released their first official album filled with new and original songs and even bonus tracks of an acoustic version of _Let It Go_ , because of course that had to be included. Anna would be staying in the Dry Ice tour bus, of course, in the comfortable little room that she and Elsa occupied.

And Elsa herself stepped out of the tour bus, reminiscent of when Anna stood before this very bus. Although instead of donning a sports bra and skinny jeans like she had almost a year ago, she was wearing Anna's college sweatshirt that she still claimed to hate, and jean shorts.

"Nice, right?" she asked Anna, gesturing to the other bus.

"It looks great inside." Anna adjusted Mose, her beloved sloth stuffed animal that she still had, under her arm. "They're all ready to go."

"Are you?"

"I am. This is my first official tour as manager."

"Good." Elsa smiled. "I made sure that everything was locked up at home."

Anna nodded and started toward the bus. Elsa helped her carry her luggage into the back bedroom. Anna paused, however, when she got to where the driver's area met the main room. Sitting there like a day never passed between the first tour and now were Olaf, Sitron, and Marshmallow already gearing up for a competition of Guitar Hero. Even though they had often paid her and Elsa visits throughout the time Anna was in school, she forgot how much she had missed their consistent company as well.

"Hey," Anna said.

They looked up at her and immediately shot to their feet. They embraced her, their warm greetings clashing with each other and Anna's excited laughter. They all let her go when she claimed she couldn't breathe, but they couldn't stop smiling.

"It's our new manager!" Olaf cheered.

"Don't let the power go to your head, now," Sitron teased, pinching her sides.

"You're gonna do great, kid," Marshmallow encouraged, his big paw of a hand tossing her hair.

"Hey, you updated your white stripe," Olaf observed, touching the shock of hair that was once faded from lack of upkeep. "Nice, nice. I approve."

"Elsa told us you got a tattoo," Sitron said excitedly.

"I did." Anna shuffled her feet bashfully. "In celebration of becoming the new manager, I got a tattoo to really fit in with the crowd."

"Can we see?" Sitron urged.

Anna lifted up the bottom of her shirt slightly. On her left hip was Elsa's name in beautiful writing. The curves of the lettering swirled almost hypnotically across her tan skin. The boys gaped.

"Well, shit," Olaf giggled. "That's basically a wedding ring."

"Oh, stop it." Marshmallow nudged his brother. "I think it's sweet."

"I have a matching one," Elsa said as she left the room. "Surprise!"

"Say what!?" Sitron whirled around.

Elsa lifted up the jacket and shirt underneath to reveal a similar tattoo on her right hip.

"Woooooow." Sitron shook his head. "You're both so whipped."

"Shut up, Sitron," Anna said.

"Yeah, shut up Sitron. Listen to our manager," Olaf cackled.

"Yeah! Listen to our manager, who I totally knew was going to be our manager because I'm always right!" Kristoff said from the door, Sven's head over his shoulder.

"Kristoff!" Anna chimed, running over to give him a hug. "You made it just in time!"

"Damn right I did. No way am I gonna miss the start of the tour like last time."

Anna gave Sven a hug next as Kristoff went to greet the others.

"We're all back together again," Elsa said, grinning at her band. "And we have some extra help thanks to the best manager in the world."

Anna flushed. "Flattery will get you nowhere."

"Except in bed," Elsa smirked.

"Elsa!"

The others roared with laughter. Even after all that time apart, nothing had changed. Oaken soon lumbered in, gave Anna a hug, and sat down at his seat. Everyone was getting themselves situated, Kristoff and Sven also staying in the main bus because they had definitely made their mark on them all from the first tour.

Philip popped his head in a few minutes later. "Yo, boss, are we ready to go?" he asked.

Anna turned to him. "Yeah. Once Oaken starts driving, follow him."

"Got it." Philip vanished and headed to the other bus.

"Are we ready for our first international tour?" Elsa asked the group.

"Fuck yeah we are!" Sitron said.

"We're about to take over the world with Elsa as the queen!" Olaf threw his fists in the air.

"Look out planet Earth," Marshmallow grinned.

The engine of the bus roared to life. Oaken honked cheerfully and Philip honked back. The cheers from the crew were loud enough to reach the first bus, and the band laughed. Once they hit the highway, it was back to the old grind. With pride in her heart, and Elsa on her arm, Anna looked out the windshield of the bus at the open road. She shared a gentle kiss with Elsa, both of them ready to start this new chapter in their lives together and with their closest friends.

"Here we go again, punk" Anna whispered to Elsa.

Elsa smirked. "Here we go again, kid."

The End

* * *

**Fun fact: there's one more chapter. A little bonus chapter, if you will. This is the actual end of Scars' main story, but I wrote a little something for it a while ago.  
**

**Fav/follow/review**

**See you next time!**


	33. Making Today a Perfect Day

**So I wrote this a while ago and I was originally going to make this a oneshot on its own as a follow up, but I decided to include this in the main story.**

**This takes place after the first tour and before the final little section of the last chapter. I hope you guys enjoy! I'll save the sappy goodbyes for the end.**

**This is super cheesy. Enjoy!**

* * *

Everything had to perfect down to the last detail. From the decorations to the cake, Elsa knew her first ever birthday celebration with Anna had to be something she'd remember forever. She was pacing the apartment's living room, biting her lip, and looking over what she and the guys had already set up. The colors were bright and vibrant, lovely shades of blue and yellow. There were gorgeous centerpieces on the end-tables, and even the kitchen was beautifully decorated.

"C'mon, Elsa, this is for Anna, you can do better than this," Elsa mumbled to herself, pursing her lips.

"Relax!" Kristoff said from the coffee table, where he was hand painting a banner for Anna's party. "Everything looks great!"

Elsa grimaces and adjusts a few streamers. "I just want it to be perfect."

"Speaking of perfect—check _this_ out!" he chimed, hanging the banner up along the wall with Marshmallow's help. The paint was still wet, and his handwriting was sloppy. He put a lot of love, time, and energy into it, but it was still obvious it was rushed.

Elsa gave him a nervous smile and wry chuckle, lost for words. Sitron gave it a once over before frowning.

"It looks like shit," he deadpanned.

"Fuck off," Kristoff huffed, a gloop of green paint falling right onto Sven's face. "Oh, whoops."

"You should have waited for it to dry," Marshmallow smirked as Sven wiped it off his face.

"We didn't have time. Miss Totally-Whipped-Pants rejected our banners," Sitron said, rolling his eyes at the punk's need for perfection. "This is the best we can do since the kid's birthday is _today_."

Elsa was harshly reminded why she chose Kristoff to be in charge. All her other band members, though enthusiastic and willing to help, did the worst job she had ever seen with decor. Sitron couldn't properly match colors, Sven was at a total loss, Olaf took too long to even come up with any ideas, and Marshmallow—bless him—did try his best but his giant hands weren't able to make out entr'acte details. Whenever they tried, Elsa would intervene and make things go her way, which made it difficult for them to finish their work if any work was in progress in the first place. Kristoff, however, was the one who was patient with Elsa's finicky attitude, and she decided he would look over the party as she gave Anna her special day before the event.

And to remind her bass player of that, she sent a hard punch into his shoulder. He winced and glared at her, storming out to the balcony to have a cigarette.

"Don't stink up Anna's flowers!" Elsa snapped at him.

"I'm not!" he snapped right back.

"Kristoff, are you sure I can leave you in charge here?" she said, still on edge, licking her finger and using it to wipe away a bit of blue paint off the techie's chin.

"Absolutely," he assured, raising his brows at her.

"Because I don't want anything to happen to this living room."

"What could happen?" Kristoff said with a calm smile. "It's all set!"

She made her way over to the end-tables dressed up for the party, adjusting the flower vases and table cloths. She felt a bit of mucus inch its way out of her nose and she sniffled heavily, using the back of her gloved hand to wipe it away.

She couldn't get sick. Not now. Not on this very important day! She knew she had to fight it, even if it killed her.

Elsa looked up at the kitchen unit to check on the cake and gasped. "Olaf! What are you doing!?"

The guitarist froze, wide-eyed, with his finger covered in frosting inches from his mouth. His eyes darted from Elsa, to the finger, and back again before hiding it behind his back.

"I'm not eating cake," he lied hastily.

"Olaf…" Elsa warned, slowly making her way over to him.

"But it's an ice-cream cake!" he whined.

"And it's for _Anna_."

"And it's for Anna. . ."

As Elsa turned her back, Olaf slipped his finger in his mouth and swallowed the frosting. Kristoff sent him an unimpressed look and Olaf grinned nervously.

Anna's phone—tucked away in Elsa's back pocket to ensure it didn't wake the redhead—rang out her eight o'clock alarm. The voice of the punk flew out of the speakers, singing her famous anthem. Elsa smiled as she turned off the alarm, affection for her girlfriend swelling in her heart.

"It's time!" she announced, Sitron returning inside from his smoke break.

"It's time!" Olaf repeated, grinning from ear to ear, bounding over to the rest of the group.

"So, what do we do?" Sitron asked.

"I'm not gonna let her in the living room. I'm gonna take her down the stairs, into the hall, and then out. Okay…" She laughed nervously and shot a finger gun at Kristoff. "You sure you got this?"

"I'm sure," he said, smiling at her.

"You were right to use him," Marshmallow said, examining the room around them. "I don't think we could have gotten this place dressed up in time."

"I resent that!" Sitron scoffed. "We could have done it."

"You would have _half-assed_ it," Elsa droned. "Now, don't let anyone in before six."

"I won't," Kristoff promised.

"And don't touch anything… _any_ of you!"

"We're just gonna stand here," Marshmallow said, raising calming hands in an attempt to relax the anxious rockstar.

"I'm probably gonna walk around a little," Olaf mused.

"There's nowhere to walk in this place," Sitron said, gazing around the small apartment.

Elsa started to make her way out of the living room and into the hall that held the stairs. "Keep an eye on that cake!" she yelled at Kristoff.

She shut the living room door, leaving the five boys alone. Sitron sighed deeply and plopped himself down on the couch, kicking up his feet on the coffee table, a drop of green paint falling right on his nose. He glared at Olaf and Marshmallow as they laughed, Sven approaching Kristoff with a grin.

"She thinks you're an idiot!" he teased, ruffling the back of his brother's hair.

"Well, clearly she's wrong!" Kristoff declared, strutting forward and accidentally bumping into the cake stand, almost sending it toppling over. "Whoa!" He quickly fixed it and adjusted the cake-topper—a front to back photo of the entire band. Everyone, he noticed, was staring at him, aghast. He cleared his throat nervously and laughed. "What, it's fine."

"This day is gonna be long, isn't it?" Sitron moaned.

"You might be right about that, buddy," Olaf sighed.

* * *

Elsa slowly opened their bedroom door and shut it quietly behind her. She passed by the spring dress she intended on presenting to Anna and tiptoed over to her sleeping beauty. The ginger was sprawled out on her side of the bed, snoozing away the minutes, her hair a bit of a mess. Elsa gave her an adoring smile and crossed over to the bed.

"Psst. Anna," she cooed.

"Mmm. . . yeah?" Anna mumbled sleepily, not fully awake, her biological time clock fighting her to wake up, but her mind willing for more sleep.

"Happy birthday!" Elsa sang.

"To youuuu. . ." Anna replied.

Elsa bit back a laugh. "It's _your_ birthday!" she reminded, rubbing Anna's shoulder to rouse her.

"To meeeee. . . It's my birthday." A stupid smile spread across Anna's face. She was still completely lost in the world of dreams.

This time, Elsa let loose the laughter that was bubbling in her chest. "C'mon!" Elsa threw the covers off Anna, and she finally perked up, realization crashing down on her.

"It's my birthday!" she chimed, now completely awake. "I totally forgot!"

"Mhm," Elsa said, leaning forward and catching Anna's lips in a tender kiss. "And it's going to be perfect."

"Is it now?" Anna giggled, allowing Elsa to help her out of bed.

"Absolutely. Because you've never had a real birthday before. I mean, honestly, a birthday without me isn't real."

"Sure, sure, Elsa." Anna rolled her eyes. "So the nineteen years I've already lived don't count because all the birthdays before were celebrated with my family and friends."

"Exactly." The blonde strolled over to the dress and handed it over. "So I'm here to celebrate properly, and to be your birthday date!"

Anna gasped at the dress, a huge, excited smile lighting her features. It was a gorgeous white dress with sunflowers stitched at the hem, a light brown belt with a gold buckle at the waist, and the straps allowed a dip in the back to show off her freckles that spread across her spine.

She snatched it from Elsa and made a beeline to their closet to shed herself of her pajamas and to try on her brand new dress. As she did so, she heard Elsa sneeze heavily and then cough into her arm. Her brow creased at the sound and, once she finished changing, emerged from the closet with a concerned expression. Elsa was wiping her nose, but quickly hid the action once she noticed Anna had come back out.

"Elsa, I think you might have a cold," Anna said, eyes wandering over Elsa's face. Baggy eyes, red nose, and flushed cheeks are all indicators that one might be sick.

"I don't get colds," Elsa said, shaking her head. "Besides!" She sang teasingly, " _A cold never bothered me anyway_."

Anna gave her a deadpan expression. "Really?"

"You loved it."

"I'll let you think that. Are you sure you're feeling okay?"

"I'm sure."

"Alright. . ." Anna perked up some. "So! What's the plan today? Should I whip us up some breakfast, or—"

"No, no, no!" Elsa rushed over to block Anna's path to the door. "We're gonna celebrate in style today. So, just, follow me, okay?"

"Okay. . ."

"I've got big plans and surprises for today." Elsa dragged Anna over to the dresser and pulled out a black velvet box she successfully kept hidden for over a month. She opened it and revealed a gorgeous charm bracelet. "Nothing is going to get in our way. I've worked for weeks, actually, and I've done everything I could to make this day perfect. Seriously, it's been a process. And… well, I even convinced Sitron and Sven to shower."

"Oh my god, Els!" Anna said of the bracelet as she let Elsa clasp it around her wrist. "It's gorgeous. Oh, and nice touch with getting those two to bathe. The smell of pot isn't very becoming on them."

Elsa smirked. "Yeah, I figured we would want clean bandmates for today. Even if they didn't, it wouldn't have held me back. In fact, _nobody_ is going to hold me back. I'd like to see them try. Not the weather, not our incompetent band members, and not some cold—but I'm not sick. At all."

"Elsa—"

"I'm not! Now come on, baby. Let's get today started on the right foot."

She led Anna out of their bedroom, down the steps, and taking her out to the balcony. She thanked goodness that she remembered to shut the curtains over the floor to ceiling windows that gave them a view of the living room from the balcony. If she hadn't, Anna would have seen her surprise and the day would be ruined. She plucked the bouquet of flowers off the chair and handed them over.

"I'm giving you the sun, the moon, and the sky today, baby love," Elsa said, admiring Anna's brilliant smile for the millionth time as she gathered the flowers in her hands and buried her nose in them to smell their fragrance.

Elsa's nose, however, took the opposite route and expelled the building sneeze within her. She groaned and wiped her finger beneath her nostrils, clearing her throat.

"Elsa?" Anna asked cautiously.

"It's alright," Elsa insisted. "I'm making today a perfect day and that's how it's going to stay. It's going to be a blast if it's the last thing I do!" She took Anna by the arm and guided her back into the apartment, grabbing the sandwich that was tucked away in a paper bag by the kitchen counter. She rushed by the living room so fast Anna didn't even get to see, entering the front hall. The boys noticed them rush by, and had held their breath as though that was going to help.

"I had this commissioned into a painting," Elsa said, gesturing to a portrait that was hanging above the shoe rack and keyboard.

Anna gasped and then started to laugh because the idea that Elsa had a semi-serious iPhone photo of the band at the end of their first tour painted was something she had never imagined Elsa doing.

"It's perfect," Anna said. "I know whenever I come home, I'll be able to smile every single time."

"Family photos, right?" Elsa said, squeezing Anna's shoulders and trading the flowers for the sandwich. "Your favorite."

"You're the best girlfriend ever," Anna said firmly, taking out the sub and biting into it, watching as Elsa set the flowers into a vase she had prepared. Anna hummed at the taste, a dreamy smile spreading across her face. "It's so good," she said, her mouth full. "You really did make sure things are in place, huh?"

"You have no idea. Alright, let's keep on going. Ooh, I almost forgot. New cozy socks!" She lifted up a lumpy package wrapped in tissue paper by the front door and Anna made a dive for it with her free hand.

"Just how many presents do you intend on giving me today?" Anna demanded, undoing the string with her teeth.

"As many as you deserve and more. If I can afford it, you're gonna get it."

Elsa turned to open the door and take Anna further on her adventure but paused, her nose twitching. Then she sneezed rather violently… twice.

"My god, Elsa!" Anna gasped, leaving the socks on the little side table and making her way over to her.

"I'm fine!" Elsa said, raising up a hand to keep Anna back and pounding her chest with the other. "I'm fine, I promise!" Another sneeze was released and she shook her head. "The rest of your presents are in town. Let's—"

"Are you sure you can continue?"

"Yes." Elsa's voice was firm, and Anna followed her stubborn girlfriend out of the apartment and into the downtown area of Arendelle. As Elsa led Anna through the city, Anna kept taking occasional bites out of her sandwich.

The day couldn't have been any more beautiful. The sky was a clear blue, the weather was moderately warm and comfortable enough to walk in without feeling overwhelmed by the heat. She loved the dress that perfectly framed her lithe figure, the slight wind blowing it gently.

However, she would have appreciated the day more if Elsa hadn't been sneezing every few minutes. Anna was positive that the blonde had some sort of illness, whether it was the common cold or perhaps hay fever. Whatever it was, it was hindering her poor girlfriend.

But every time Anna wanted to say something about it, Elsa would stop her with an excuse.

Anna finished her sandwich but was still hungry, so Elsa took her into a small diner for breakfast, the two sitting and enjoying each other's company. Elsa's coughs and sneezes joined once or twice during the meal—and Anna forbid Elsa from ordering any diary filled products no matter what, lest it make her sinuses worse.

After breakfast they continued through town, taking dorky selfies together and weaving through shops.

"Surprise, surprise, this one especially!" Elsa said as they entered the jewelry shop where the owner had the already purchased necklace ready for the taking. She picked it up and guided it over to Anna, showing it off and letting it sparkle in the light. It perfectly matched Anna's new bracelet.

"Wow!" Anna was breathless at the sight. "You've got me reeling, but I'm still concerned for you," Anna said, letting Elsa hook it around her neck. "I think it's time that you go home and get some rest. This day has been great so far but you look really pale. Like, more than usual."

"I keep telling you that I'm fine."

"At least admit you've got the sniffles."

"I don't have anything."

They went next door to a little souvenir shop, Elsa still determined to press through this growing illness to give Anna the perfect day, ignoring Anna's worries.

"Besides, we're not stopping 'cause the next one is the beh-eh—"

Another sneeze was released from the punk just in time for her to pass over the snow globe she bought to Anna. She shook her head to snap herself out of this achey, stuffy mood, and grabbed Anna by the hand to drag her over to the bus parked not too far away.

 _Just how many stops were they going to hit, anyway?_ Anna thought to herself. The more they pressed on, the worse Elsa seemed to be getting. With noon fast approaching, Anna wondered if Elsa really had _meant_ the whole day. If she really had put so much into working and planning a perfect birthday, then Anna knew that stress, on top of everything, was only quickening the pace of her illness.

"Elsa, you gotta go lie down!" Anna begged.

"No _way,_ we have to paint the town!" Elsa argued.

Anna felt herself smile in disbelief at Elsa as they entered the bus, which was actually clean for once. In spite of getting as sick as a dog, the damn idiot was so in love with her that nothing, and really nothing, was obviously stopping her. The whole world could have been ending and the city could have been in a panic, but Elsa would have moved forward, ignoring the chaos.

With an up-close look at Elsa now, Anna really could see how sick she was. Her eyes were dull, and the poor thing had sweat beading on her forehead. Anna reached out and took Elsa's face in her hands.

"Baby, look at me," she whispered. Elsa glanced up into her eyes. "You need medical attention. Some medicine, a nap, _some_ thing."

Elsa shook her head and turned away from Anna. She picked up a cashmere olive cardigan off of what was once Olaf's bunk and settled it onto Anna's shoulders.

"Please listen to me. You're sick!" Anna insisted.

"Are you sick, Elsa?" Oaken asked bursting forth from the bathroom, startling both girls, steam rolling out and thankfully blocking anything and everything below the belt. "How 'bout a cold remedy of my own invention?" He opened a kitchen cabinet, Anna and Elsa thanking their lucky stars he was wearing a towel, and presented it to them.

"You make your own cough medicine?" Anna asked, slightly bewildered.

"Yah! It's very good," Oaken beamed.

"No thanks," Elsa said, leaving the bus.

"We'll take it," Anna grinned, winking at Oaken and following Elsa outside. It was better than nothing after all.

Elsa was making her way towards Arendelle's little park and Anna had to jog to keep up with her. There Elsa had set up a small picnic for them to have lunch and take a break from running around town all day long.

"Elsa, alright, this day is great but don't overwork yourself," Anna pleaded. "You look as sick as a dog."

"Relax, I'm alright!" Elsa repeated, almost as if she was trying to convince herself. "Come, sit."

Just as she requested, there was a saved space for her and Anna to have a picnic underneath a large oak tree. A classic, red and white checkered blanket with a woven basket filled with food for the pair of them lay on top of the grass. Elsa took her hand and guided her down, kissing her nose.

"Who set this up for us?" Anna asked.

"Your cousin may have done us a favor," Elsa said, smirking confidently, knowing full well she was making Anna's day perfect.

"This is amazing and I loved it. And I love _you_."

"I love you, too."

As Anna began to pull out the lunch, Elsa snuck the bottle of cough syrup away from her as quickly and quietly as she could. She could feel her cold getting worse and she needed to tone it down, at least until tonight. Elsa had taken Oaken's home remedy once before and it seriously sent her over the edge of sanity, but it cleared her illness in two hours. Maybe if she took just a bit, it would keep her sane and clear her up by six that night!

So Elsa took a sip, the medicine that thick, sludge-like texture that she remembered. She gagged; it tasted like grapes that tried to get friendly with the artificial banana flavor. It even burned going down. But it was worth it in order to keep things going smoothly.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the apartment, the boys were doing their best to keep everything in order. Elsa's little sprint by nearly gave them all a heart-attack but it didn't seem like Anna noticed the party waiting for her.

"I gotta hand it to her, Elsa knows how to plan a party," Sitron said. "Remember we had that whole shebang for my eighteenth and we all agreed that having Elsa in charge was both the best and worst idea ever?"

"But she surprised you!" Olaf reminded him. "Your face was priceless!"

"It was also right in front of your face the whole time," Marshmallow chuckled.

"Hey, in my defense, Elsa used really clever code words with you all," Sitron protested. "So, it wasn't like I could know what you were talking about!"

Suddenly, Rapunzel had barged her way inside somehow, flashing the spare key Anna gave her in case of emergencies at their confused faces.

"Rapunzel, are you sure this counts as—?" started to Eugene.

"My cousin's birthday is an emergency," she said seriously, letting him and Anna's parents in behind her.

"Whoa, whoa, we can't have people in here until six!" Kristoff said, widening his eyes in alarm, waving his hands in panic.

"Oh, come on, it's not like Elsa installed cameras to check if you followed protocol," Sitron said dryly, using a wet paper towel to mop up the continuous drip of green paint that was slowly peppering the leather couch.

"For this day, I wouldn't put it past her," Olaf laughed.

All the boys paused and gazed around the room anxiously, checking if Elsa actually _had_ installed cameras to ensure this day went exactly as planned.

"But I doubt it!" Olaf assured quickly.

"Come on in!" Sitron invited, as if he lived there.

"Sitron!" Kristoff whined.

"Chill out, man. We'll let only these guys in." Sitron turned back to the guests. "Presents go on that table by the cake."

"Just don't touch the cake," Kristoff warned, realizing he had lost control of the situation.

"Why not?" Faye asked.

"Because Elsa will kill us all," Sven said seriously.

"Oh, come now," said David, putting down the gifts for his daughter on the table. "Elsa can't possibly be that—" He caught the dead-serious looks that were being shot at him from the boys. He nodded and sat delicately in a bar stool seat. "Alright, I suppose I was wrong."

"There's no harm in letting these four in early," Olaf said to Kristoff. "They're Anna's family."

"True…" Kristoff hummed.

"Oh, uh, actually, some of Anna's friends from school are coming early, too," Rapunzel said quietly.

Kristoff turned a delicate shade of green as the doorbell rang.

* * *

Anna had no idea what in the world had happened to her girlfriend but suddenly she was acting as if she was drunk out of her mind, and it reminded Anna of when she got high on accident but she was the one trying to keep Elsa in control. In the rational side of Elsa's brain, that wasn't sloshed by cough medicine, she knew that any and all doses of Oaken's remedy would send her into la-la-land. But the other side of her brain was mainly drowning in the medicine, making her giggly, occasionally cross-eyed, and caused her to stumble around as she tried to continue to drag Anna everywhere and anywhere.

The only up-side was the fact that her sneezing had toned down significantly.

"C'mon! Now we climb!" Elsa sang, yanking Anna towards the office building that held Dry Ice's Arendelle headquarters, a place where she and the boys could practice whenever they visited. It was also going to hold Anna's official manager office very soon.

"Elsa, this is too much, you need to rest!" Anna pleaded, no longer caring that it was her twentieth birthday. She had to make sure Elsa got home safe and sound before she hurt herself.

Elsa sniffled and grunted, shaking her head in hopes to clear it. "We need to get you our birthday chills. . ." She turned around and spread her arms lazily. "I mean _thrills_!" she covered up, smiling stupidly. "Making dreams!" She spun on the spot. "Making plans!" She opened the lobby door and shoved Anna towards the stairwell entrance. "Go, go, go, go!"

She tripped up several steps, Anna slowly making her way behind her, staring at Elsa in shock and horror. The sweet gesture had turned into a painful display of determination. It was no longer endearing to Anna, the redhead filled to the brim with concern.

"Elsa?" Anna questioned, catching the blonde snoozing on the railings.

"What!?" Elsa jerked awake and then waved off Anna's worry yet again. "I'm fiiiine." A laugh bubbled over her lips and she continued to press forward up the stairs and Anna had no choice but to follow her. "We're gonna climb! We're gonna sing!"

They reached the top floor landing where the headquarters resided, entering the main room and heading out to the balcony.

"Look at this city, Anna!" Elsa hollered. "I'll buy it all for you to make you happy!"

"What?" Anna gawked, unsure of where Elsa's head was.

The punk began to twirl joyfully, getting dangerously close to the balcony fence. Seeing this, Anna's heart stopped as she lunged forward, grabbing Elsa's wrist and pulling the clumsy girl away.

"Whoa!" Anna cried.

They both landed on the ground, and the punk hunched forward and coughing thickly. Anna crawled over and gathered Elsa in her arms.

"Elsa, look at you, you've got a fever! You're burning up!" Anna coddled, pressing the back of her hand to Elsa's burning forehead. "Alright, we can't go on like this. Let's put this day on hold. . ." Elsa shook her head, but Anna stayed firm. "C'mon, admit to yourself."

"Okay. . ." Elsa sniffled heavily, resting her head on Anna's shoulder. "I have a cold. . ."

Anna gave her a soft smile and pulled her into a hug, kissing her head and rocking her in her arms for a moment.

Slowly, she helped Elsa to her feet and guided her down to earth, taking the elevator instead. Elsa was buried in her, shivering and sniffling, trying to get as close to Anna's warmth as possible.

They made their way back to the apartment and finally reached the hallway where their unit waited for them. Anna was pulling out the keys from Elsa's pocket when the blonde finally spoke up again.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I just wanted to give you a perfect birthday. But I ruined it. . . didn't I?" Elsa croaked sadly.

"You didn't ruin anything," Anna assured, grabbing her shoulders and giving them a tender squeeze. "I promise. Let's just get you to bed."

Anna unlocked the door and pushed it open. Elsa raised her gaze from the carpet to the inside of the apartment and widened her eyes. It wasn't even six yet, but Anna's friends and family had already arrived. From David, Faye, Rapunzel, and Eugene to her classmates Peter, Wendy, and so many more.

" _Surprise_!" cheered the crowd waiting for them.

"Wow!" Anna gasped, a huge grin spreading across her face.

"Wow. . ." Elsa said, stunned that the party actually turned out pretty well.

"This is insane!" Anna shouted gleefully, jumping up and down as Sitron and Olaf brought her into the plethora of people awaiting the birthday girl's arrival. "It's the best birthday ever!"

"There's a fine line between chaos!" Kristoff called from the kitchen, balancing the cake away from the crowd so it wouldn't fall, knowing it was Elsa's pride and joy for this party.

"And a hullabaloo!" Olaf laughed, ruffling Anna's hair. "Like Elsa promised, today is gonna be perfect!"

"We're making today a perfect day!" Sitron whooped.

"Making today a perfect day!" Marshmallow bellowed, swooping Anna up onto his shoulders so she could be on top of the world.

"A-N-N-A!" everyone chanted.

Anna's heart swelled with love and thankfulness for the fabulous friends who came to celebrate the day. She wasn't expecting this at all, but she knew that Elsa had a thing or two to do with this.

"Happy birthday!" Kristoff and Sven called, the two cutting the cake.

"This is amazing!" Anna said, her cheeks hurting because she couldn't stop smiling. She turned to see Elsa hovering by the front door still, observing the scene as the party started to get into the groove of things, people mingling and starting to eat the snacks set out. "Marsh, ha, set me down for a moment," Anna said, and Marshmallow did so. She crossed over to Elsa, who still wasn't quite down from her cough medicine high, and grabbed Anna's arm.

"It's a perfect day!" she slurred, eyes lidded, her body shutting down from exhaustion.

"Okay, to bed with you," Anna said with a kind smile, trying to guide Elsa away from the door, which was suddenly knocked upon.

"Wait, wait, that must be the pizza guy! I'll get it," Elsa said.

"Oh, no no no no no—" Anna tried to coax Elsa away but the blonde refused to cooperate.

She opened the door at the exact moment her nose decided to sneeze all over the pizza guy. . . who just so happened to be Hans. Anna had heard that Hans had gotten fired from his job with his family's company, but she had no idea he was delivering pizzas now.

The room went quiet, everyone gaping at him. His face was covered in Elsa's snot and germs. His eye twitched and he shoved the pizzas into her arms, storming away from the party without another word.

* * *

Somehow, Anna managed to get Elsa to bed, wrapping her up in the duvet and feeding her chicken soup she had Olaf microwave. She would go down to the party later, but right now she needed to care for Elsa.

"Best birthday present ever," Anna sighed, spoon-feeding Elsa the last of the soup.

"Which one?" Elsa asked, the blanket slipping off her shoulders.

Anna set down the bowl and reached over to readjust the blanket. "You letting me take care of you," she said lovingly.

Elsa peered into Anna's eyes and smiled a thankful smile before letting out one more sneeze. Anna giggled softly and tucked a strand of hair behind Elsa's ear.

"Get some rest, Els," she whispered. "If there's anything else I want for my birthday, it's for you to get better."

The blonde nodded, finally submitting. "Okay."

Anna leaned forward, kissed her forehead, and then stood up. She switched off the lights for Elsa as she made herself comfortable, resting her head on the pillows. Another smile spread across Anna's face, the knowledge that Elsa put herself through all this just to please Anna coming back to her.

She closed the door gently and made her way back down to the party waiting for her, Elsa slipping away into a deep sleep to rid her body of the toxins.

* * *

**Yeah. I regret nothing.**

**So, this really is the end of Scars of a Façade. Wow. I knew this day would come, and I know it took me a long time to get here, but it's sad that it's really here.**

**You guys, this has been one amazing journey. I love this story so much, and thank you all for being so patient and kind. And thank you so much for the 700+ reviews (on FFN). It's been an absolute pleasure, and I hope you guys have enjoyed reading Scars just as much as I've enjoyed writing it.**

**And I want to give a big thank you to those who helped RP some of the chapters. You really helped make it authentic.**

**Also: a big shout out to those who drew fan art for this fic! You have no idea how much I love them. It's so rare for my stories to get fan art, and I cherish each image I happen to stumble upon.  
** **Perhaps I'll do a mini fic of a European tour where Anna and her new crew gets into all sorts of shenanigans, but we'll see if that happens. I don't want to dive headfirst into a new project without properly planning. We'll see.**

**So, once again, thank you for reading!**

**See you next time!**


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